Depiction：
On a 30-centimeter-square panel, Spanish artist Jose Abel uses thick layers of oil paint to create a searing yet hazy atmosphere. The first thing that catches the eye is the orange-red sky, resembling the surface of metal scorched by fire, etched with layers of brushstrokes. The thick application and scraping of the paint creates an intertwining of layers, creating a transparent yet dense effect, like clouds in the sky, animated by the force of light.
The city below is less defined, dominated by large expanses of dark brown and black, creating a subdued and blurred tone. Occasional flashes of bright color, like rivers or wet stone bricks, capture the reflections of dusk or dawn. The shadows of towering towers pierce the sky, like the coordinates of a city's pulse, maintaining a calm and isolated presence amidst the hazy, infernal hue.
The flames here are not figurative blazes, but rather an inner symbol. The color of fire burns the city's history and memories, while the flow of light, like a harbinger of dawn, offers the viewer a sense of hope amidst the gloom. This expression evokes the vast skies of 19th-century Romanticism, blended with the abstract tension of 20th-century Expressionism.
Upon closer inspection, the thick texture of the paint becomes apparent, some even rising like relief. This is the artist imbuing the paint itself with materiality, imbuing the painting with a tactile weight that transcends visual perception. Perhaps we too experience this tension in modern life—in the bustling city, enveloped by the daily gloom, yet yearning for a breakthrough of light. This painting, like a frozen moment, reminds us that even amidst the heaviest shadows, there is still the possibility of dawn.
