Stylised forms and intense chromatic contrast are the hallmarks of the artwork of Peruvian painter Alex Salas Machuca. A stimulating combination that results in striking, harmonious compositions.
Alex Salas Machuca builds this colourful universe drawing inspiration from animal forms, feline ones above all, and from those that shape the female body. He renders these images through a personal language, translated into appealing stylised appearances that take on sinuous rhythms wherever the artist wants to draw attention. In the case of his women, that sinuousness also aims for a strong erotic charge. Distorted lines, though easily recognisable, that play in spaces free of perspective and lend his canvases greater dynamism.
His drawing uses a very expressive line, at times even reinforcing the outline of the silhouettes with a thick black stroke. His figures usually sit against backgrounds in very bright tones. And through the aesthetic he practises with his forms and colours, he creates a stylised, colourful harmony, the source of the strong visual impact that characterises his work. This perfectly tuned balance blossoms out of the rich tonal range of highly saturated colours he handles, with ochres standing out as a particular reference in his artwork. That expressive richness is reinforced even further by the addition of textured backgrounds with relief.
Self-taught, he has developed his artistic output freely, allowing himself to experiment with different influences. So he puts together a suggestive proposal that draws on some of the main pictorial currents of the 20th century. He tries out Picasso's cubism, a bit of Klimt, surrealism, abstraction and pop style.
A painter, draughtsman and illustrator, Alex Salas Machuca also has experience in the world of animated film and in television. He has taken part in group exhibitions in Lima, Buenos Aires, Montreal, Lucca and Barcelona. It is in this last city that he currently lives and works.
More information about Alex Salas Machuca and his artwork here.
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