Miroslav Spadrna (Pintorcheco) - Hechizo de la luna (spell of the moon)XL

Spell of the Moon (Acrylic on canvas 92x73cm) 2023 by Miroslav Spadrna (Czech painter)

Miroslav Spadrna is a Czech painter, born in 1968 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Before studying Fine Arts, he was already painting and selling many of his works. At the age of 21, he was known in Germany, the Netherlands, and other European countries. By 25, he had sold over 1,000 works worldwide. At 40, he left commercial painting to immerse himself deeply in his art. He abandoned his home and previous life to create art on the street, closer to poverty, solitude, and passion. This change transformed his style, thinking, and technique. At 43, he began another phase in his artistic life. For Špadrna, art is a space of absolute freedom, a place to find the essence of things and the deepest feelings of the self. It is where the only measure of time is the brushstroke. Creating or recreating life on a canvas, paper, or sculpture is, for him, the most sublime act. His recognitions include the European Artist Award in 2023 in Milan, Italy, and in 2021 he was appointed Coordinator of Art and Painting in the Czech Republic. His group exhibitions include the Collective Exhibition in Berja, Andalusia, Spain in 2023. His works have received positive reviews in Spain and have appeared in publications. In 1997, he had a residency in Garachico, Canary Islands, Spain. Spadrna is a recognized and awarded artist who has been published in various media outlets. He has been a member of the Visual Art Gallery Chicote, Spain, since April 2, 2024. His work can be found on multiple websites, showcasing his evolutionary journey as an artist. His art is vibrant and textured, capturing his deep connection with art as a means to express the depths of human experience.
Miroslav Spadrna alias pintorcheco
An intimate journey between light, nature, and essence.
Por Antonio Sánchez. Director and curator of 1819 art gallery.
This collection is a pictorial symphony that oscillates between the abstract and the figurative, integrating visual structure with an emotional charge that permeates each piece. In a display of Impressionist and Expressionist technique, the artist explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, where forms, color, and textures merge into a visually intense choreography. Thick, angular brushstrokes, applied with a mixed technique of impasto and energetic strokes, give the surface an almost tactile three-dimensionality, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in the materiality of each work.
The color palette of the collection is dense and multifaceted, playing with a vibrant range of blues, greens, and earth tones, contrasted with accents of intense reds and oranges. This choice of colors is not random but responds to a poetic discourse in which cool tones suggest serenity and introspection, while warm colors act as visual counterpoints of energy and passion. Reds in particular, with their shades of crimson and vermilion, stand out in certain figures and natural elements, suggesting both the vitality of life and the fleeting nature of moments captured on the canvas.
The artist employs texture as a key expressive element in the composition. The application of thick layers of oil and acrylic, torn and superimposed in various directions, gives each work a visual density that reflects the complexity of the natural world. This textural treatment not only enhances the materiality of the painting but also creates an immersive, almost enveloping atmosphere that places the viewer in a liminal space between the tangible and the intangible. The strokes become gestural, with contained energy that suggests the organic pulse of life itself, creating a kind of pictorial language that alludes to both the ephemeral and the eternal simultaneously.
In compositional terms, the artist challenges conventions of symmetry and formal order, constructing scenes that evoke the controlled chaos of nature. Elements are arranged in a dynamic balance, where the seemingly random placement of figures and landscapes responds to an internal logic of asymmetric harmony. This approach creates a visual tension that keeps the viewer's gaze in constant movement, exploring every inch of the canvas in search of hidden details and underlying meanings.

The composition, thus, becomes an interactive experience, a space where the viewer's eye navigates freely, discovering new layers and perspectives with each observation. One of the most notable aspects of this series is how the human figure is presented in a state of fusion with the environment. In several of the works, the bodies seem to emerge from the landscape, as if they were natural extensions of the trees, water, or earth. This integration underscores the idea of an intrinsic connection between humans and nature, a bond that goes beyond mere coexistence to become a symbiotic and spiritual union. The human figure is not depicted as an isolated entity but as an inextricable element of the visual ecosystem surrounding it, in a perpetual embrace with the cosmos.
The pictorial space in this collection is deeply atmospheric, built up from layers of transparency and opacity that suggest different planes of depth. The superimposition of glazes and patches of color creates an illusion of movement, as if the landscape itself were breathing and transforming before our eyes. This technique, which combines sfumato with the use of contrasts of lights and shadows, adds an almost ethereal dimension to the works, enveloping the figures in a mist that renders them as floating specters in a parallel universe.

The implicit narrative of the collection is structured around universal themes such as time, metamorphosis, and the persistence of nature. Each piece acts as a fragment of a larger story, where recurring elements—trees, water, and human figures—serve as archetypal symbols alluding to eternity and the cycle of life. The trees, with their deep roots and ascending branches, represent stability and a connection to the earth, while the water, with its constant flow, symbolizes the inevitable passage of time and transformation. Human presence, on the other hand, is depicted in a state of contemplation or movement, as if aware of its fleeting nature against the vastness of the landscape surrounding it.
The use of light is another fundamental aspect in constructing these atmospheres laden with symbolism. The soft, diffuse illumination emanates from different points within the composition, creating subtle contrasts that reveal and conceal fragments of the landscape. This light is not merely a technical resource but a symbol of the transcendental; it becomes a metaphor for consciousness and perception, illuminating the visible parts while suggesting that much remains hidden in the shadows. In this sense, light guides the viewer on an introspective journey, making them a participant in the work as an explorer of the mysteries and meanings that dwell in every corner of the scene.