DAN RAMIREZ

(Barcelona) Majestat Battlo Crucifix-Catalunya

2002-04 Luz Series/Gallifa, Spain

This series of works began in the summer of 2002 during a residency at the Fundacio Tallers Josep Llorens Artigas, in Gallifa, Spain. The vertical format of the paintings was inspired by a polychrome wooden crucifix of a clothed Christ figure (Majestat Battlo - Mid-Twelfth century) that I encountered at the Del Museo Nacional D’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona. 

The conceptual and formal approach to the paintings is a continuation of an ongoing exploration of the physical nature of the medium and the structural support. This has been the formal approach that has been one of the many focuses of my work for years. It is a direct response to many of the issues  that caught my attention as I developed an affinity toward minimalism’s extremely sparse use of the basic elements of painting; i.e. line, color, shape, etc.

Contrary to minimalism’s negation of the use of those elements on a more visceral or metaphorical level, I have always tried to incorporate minimalism’s visual aesthetic with my own more intuitive approach to what interests me as an artist. This series of paintings reflects very strongly those interests.