Pedro Escalona

"In my paintings I want to capture everything that the present has of the eternal."

 

The still life's of the Spanish Pedro Escalona (Fuengirola, Malaga, Spain, 1949) literally make you fall silent. The beautifully rendered light and the clear compositions exude serenity. The background, in which surfaces or spaces are suggested by means of lines, serves as the theatre on which the performance is presented: the concentrated compositions in dusty colors. These earthy shades alternate with saturated red, green and blue colors that are entrusted to the canvas in an almost chalky texture. Completely balanced is the alternation of details and their suggestion, Escalona manages to create a harmony that few imitate.

 

The objects in Escalona's paintings refer to his daily life and are thus biographical, although this is not his intention. They are objects that can be recognizable to all of us, but Escalona gives them a special meaning. It expresses a feeling for him. He investigates the mystery of representation mainly by painting archaeological objects. They remind us of a culture and an existence in the past. In order to enjoy the mystery, one should no longer see the objects as trivial and unimportant. Then the vase suddenly becomes just as important as the flowering roses it contains.