Marta Cárdenas

(San Sebastián, 1944)

Río (invierno)

1987

gouache on cardboard

76 x 100 cm

Inv. no. 7164

BBVA Collection Spain



Known for her unmistakeable poetic, lyrical and intimate landscapes, Marta Cárdenas is one of the leading names in contemporary Basque abstraction. An early artistic vocation prompted her decision to dedicate herself to painting, an activity she also combines with an abiding interest in writing. Her passion for both forms of expression can be seen in the over three hundred notebooks she filled over the passing of the years.

Throughout her career, Cárdenas’s painting underwent an interesting process of evolution, mirroring her own personal experiences. Following an early stage in which she produced works in what has been described as naturalist and melancholic figuration, an epiphanic moment in nature in 1979 set her out on the path of abstraction. From that moment onward, she produced a series of highly expressive works predicated on the free use of brushwork and colour. In these plein air paintings one can discern the influence of Nymphs by Monet (1840-1926) and the gesturality of Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011). In approaching them she relied on a tried and trusted method in the history of art, namely, taking notes and sketches directly without lifting her eyes from the model. This allowed her to capture the key elements of the landscape quickly and to represent the shifting light, the changes in nature and the behaviour of animals in an abstract way.

River (Winter) is an excellent example of the result of this direct engagement with nature. In it, one can readily discern the influence of oriental painting and mysticism, particularly in the calligraphic treatment of the brushwork. This work is a simplified depiction, capturing the essence of the observed landscape. The simple strokes are the outcome of reinterpreting her surrounding environs purged of all superfluous elements, making the imperceptible perceptible through the colours and the light.