Salustiano: Beyond the Red

Salustiano. Instante de eternidad, No. 6 (An Instant of Eternity No. 6), Natural pigments and acrylic resin on canvas, 39.3” x 39.3”. Courtesy of the artist and Art Rouge Gallery (Miami)

By Chaliang Merino

“Hombre del futuro” (Man of the Future) (1994) was the title of the exhibition at Museo Provincial de Huelva, Spain, which launched Salustiano’s extensive artistic career; and the future has shown us eloquent poetics of unquestionable humanist derivation. Other notable exhibitions were to follow: “Cuando las máquinas trabajen a mano” (When machines do handiwork) (Quattro Galería, Portugal), “Hunter” (Galerie Rafael Vostell, Germany), “The Horizon Comes to Meet the Train” (Janos Gat Gallery, New York) and the traveling international show “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” to name a few. Graduate of the College of Fine Arts of the Universidad de Sevilla, the Spanish artist has participated in established international fairs -ARCO, KIAF, Art Frankfurt, TIAF, Scope London, Moscow International Art Fair, Palm Beach Contemporary Art Fair, among others- and his oeuvre has been displayed in prestigious museums -Rubin Museum in New York, Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, Luma Museum in Chicago- and galleries in Tokyo, Berlin, Paris, Basilea, Madrid, Lisbon and Shanghai. The idea for this brief dialogue sprang from his recent exhibition at ArtRouge Gallery, Miami.

Chaliang Merino: Could you tell me, in broad terms, what the evolution of your poetics has been in the past decade? Do you find the profound anthropological inclination found in your most recent work to be a constant?

Salustiano: Since I began painting my main intention has been the same, to create work that is poetic although not lacking in humor and irony. These three concepts, poetry, humor and irony, help me imbue the spectator with a specific emotion more precisely.

I suppose that the evolution experienced in my work is the same as the one I myself have undergone. I believe that the lyricism of my paintings has become more mature, more serene, and more controlled.

With respect to the anthropological inclination you refer to in your question, I can tell you that the use of the human figure in my oeuvre is a constant and that I cannot find a better vehicle than the human body to transmit emotions.

Salustiano, ADN! (No. 1), Natural pigments and acrylic resin on canvas, 59” x 59”. Courtesy of the artist and Art Rouge Gallery (Miami)

CM- The use of photography is part of your creative process and it would appear that some frames are faithfully transferred to the canvas. When I look at parts of your work, the circular format and the light filter utilized suggest a camera lens, as well as other interpretations. To what extent do you consider this a crucial technique?

S - I don’t agree that my compositions are transferred in this way from the photograph to the canvas. My paintings do not appear to be, because they are not, copies of photographs; it is true that my work begins with a photo session, but that is just one step. It is like using a calculator to add and subtract in a third grade equation. My realism is a pictorial and not a photographic realism; that is what differentiates me in large part from other contemporary, figurative artists like Norbert Bisky or Terry Rodgers.

CM- You project peace, absolute silence, and great spirituality in each of your creations. Why do you always use such young faces?

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S- I only seek people who can convey what I want to say with their looks. Most of my models are young people because the young are less contaminated by life’s frustrations and problems. At that age, the spiritual animal that we all carry inside is more intact, and that is what I want to paint. Of course, there are always exceptions and I have found excellent models of all ages.

CM- Models in your works are usually far removed from the classical archetypes of “man” and “woman,” even in the stances they adopt. Is there any intention or commentary behind this?

S- Yes, there is a clear intention. When I was a youngster, my mother took me to church every Sunday. At that time, all women wore veils on their heads and their shoulders had to be covered. I questioned the reason for this practice, and I was told it was in order not to distract from religious and spiritual pursuits. That is how I found out that sexuality and spirituality should never be mixed.  Therefore, I decided to work disregarding the sex of the models to the extent possible. Although it is not possible to eliminate it completely, I look for models for whom the line between masculinity and the femininity is often blurred. Furthermore, I ask them to pose abandoning, to the extent possible, the very stereotypes of their sex. Thus, women appear with strong, defiant attitudes, with arrogant expressions; attitudes traditionally associated with men.  For their part, men pose with friendly, warm and delicate expressions.

CM- The apparel and even some of the stances of certain creatures display strong symbolism and mysticism. Can your work be considered a reflection of your spiritual beliefs?

S- I agree that my paintings are loaded with spirituality, but I have never been attracted to symbolism. Symbolism is a resource more utilized by romantic artists. I consider that art is divided into only two categories, classic art and romantic art, depending on whether what prevails in a work of art is sentiment over form or form over sentiment. The foundation of classicism is that a painting is just a painting, and not a psychiatrist’s couch. Thus, Matisse, Picasso, Hockney and Kapoor are classicists, while Bacon, Munch, Van Gogh and Nolde are romanticists.

That is why my spiritual beliefs do not influence my work; I don’t paint what I feel, but rather what I think. Although I seek emotional results, my oeuvre is based on intellectual and methodical work, mathematical work. It is created through analytical and not emotive labor. I work with the emotions of those who look at my paintings, not with my own.

Salustiano’s artwork is on view at Art Rouge Gallery through April 30^th, 2010. 46 Northwest 36^th St. Miami, FL, 33127. Phone 305 448 2060. www.artrouge.com

Chaliang Merino: Art Critic. BA in Art History (Universidad de La Habana); MA in Art Management (St. Thomas University, Miami).