“I try to move freely between a demonstration of technical ability and a total rejection of it.”
Paintings as records of the body and time
Vivaciously expressive paintings by Cristina de Miguel are full of playful drama. Elastic female bodies bend and stretch alongside a host of hybrid creatures. Mermaids, animals and mythic beasts all meld into the background – making the environment as important as the individual figures. The artist works in lots of different ways, but in general, she creates a thin background wash that dries overnight and then applies many layers with a mix of acrylic paint and oil stick. This is Cristina's M.O. – materiality. The infinite qualities of paint prevail over the narratives they tell. That said, al...
Vivaciously expressive paintings by Cristina de Miguel are full of playful drama. Elastic female bodies bend and stretch alongside a host of hybrid creatures. Mermaids, animals and mythic beasts all meld into the background – making the environment as important as the individual figures. The artist works in lots of different ways, but in general, she creates a thin background wash that dries overnight and then applies many layers with a mix of acrylic paint and oil stick. This is Cristina's M.O. – materiality. The infinite qualities of paint prevail over the narratives they tell. That said, allegorical stories do emerge, albeit subconsciously, and the artist intentionally leaves these open for the viewer to decipher.
Not only do the paintings portray bodies, but they are bodily in nature. Accidental paint splatters, drips, and fingerprints are extensions of the artist herself. "I am very interested in looking at a painting and feeling the body making those marks. The timing: parts that are slow and parts that happen very fast. Experiencing marks as time recorders." This is clear in the fact that Cristina often paints with her large-scale canvases on the floor. So, she physically creates the painterly gestures with many different muscles. Biceps, quads, core. As such, each brushstroke or meandering line is a document. A record of the body doing something in time.
Bio
Cristina de Miguel was born 1987 in Seville. She now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Early Years
Cristina loved painting since she was a child. Seville, where she grew up, was inspirational. Full of sunshine and colour. During her undergrad, she was taught in a very classical and academic way. To find her own style, she returned to the freedom of childhood, a source of inspiration for many modernist painters also.
Studio
Cristina's methods of working in her studio are indicative of the fact that she sees life and painting as synonymous. She is committed to regular working hours but also likes to take dance breaks to "keep the spirit alive." This spirit is palpable in her work.
