Carmen Laffón

(Seville, 1934 - Sanlúcar de Barrameda, 2020)

Still Life

1986

oil on canvas

50 x 65 cm

Inv. no. 2560

BBVA Collection Spain



Considered one of the most important exponents of Figuration in Spain, her practice as a painter could be defined as realism with an intimate and poetic tone, mostly in depictions of landscapes, still lifes and of the cities she has lived in. She pays particular attention to all aspects related to colour, which takes on a soft hue indebted to Murillo, whose influence runs deeply through the tradition of painting in Seville. Her style as a painter, rejected by abstract practitioners for its naturalism and by academicians for its modernism, is closer to Madrid Realism, of which Antonio López (1936) is probably the best known exponent. That said, she brought to it her own personal nuances, something that made her a benchmark for the so-called Seville Realism and a great influence on Andalusian painting.

One of the main themes in her production is the still-life. Her compositions evoke the sceneries by Zurbarán and the silent atmospheres of Morandi’s paintings. Thus, her canvases seem to be covered in and enigmatic environment, as appreciated in this delicate piece. Created at the height of her maturity as an artist, this work from 1986 is a beautiful example of Carmen Laffón’s mastery as a painter. Her style has an intimate quality, materialised in the depiction of mundane themes in a lyrical and delicate manner, creating a poetic atmosphere through soft colours and shaded outlines that induces personal reflection.