HAPPENINGS


Royo: Te Passion of Life International Artist Month


May 14 & 15, 2011 7007 Friars Road, Suite 683, San Diego CA 92108 • 800-599-7111 • RSVP via email to PR@ecgallery.com S


ome art must be felt. The viewer cannot merely look at the work, but must feel the work as the art itself exudes emotion. This is the case with master artist Jose Royo. Born in 1945 in Valencia, Spain, Royo was destined to be an artist. At the age of nine, his father, a prominent


physician and avid art enthusiast, employed private tutors to instruct Royo in drawing, painting and sculpture. At age fourtneen, he entered the San Carlos Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia. From that point on, Royo’s career has flourished. He has painted the royal portraits of King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and Judges of the High Magistrate, Courts of Justice, as well as many other prominent political and social figures. Known primarily for the elegant yet


passionate paintings that he creates of women, Royo’s works are often compared to another great master artist, Joaquín So- rolla. Both masters were born in Valencia, both were classically trained, both “ma- tured” into styles of painting capturing the dramatic visual essence of their homeland, Valencia, and the Mediterranean Sea. They have each been described as “Painters of the Light” and some have said, “Of the Light of the South,” that is, the southern coast of Spain. It is the overwhelming influ- ence of Sorolla, blended with his own sig- nature style, which makes Royo’s masterful treatment of his Mediterranean subjects haunting, mysterious, and full of raw power at the same time. Royo’s compositions draw the viewer


“Atardecer” 8 Original Oil on Canvas 36" x 28"


into the setting where light, heat and pas- sion all play a part of the emotional experi- ence found upon the canvas. His masterful use of the brush and juxtaposition of colors is uncanny. Whites become pinks and pinks become blues, shadow and lighting create tension, expectation and emotions which cause the heart to quicken. His sweeping


OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SPRING 2011


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