I nspired by the everyday, Spanish artist Rafa Macarrón imbues the typically mundane with an air of the uncanny and the fantastical, capturing the excit.mes nt and humour of ordinary life. A physiotherapist by training, Macarrón has a carefully studied knowledge of human anatomy, which he relates directly to his characteristic distortion of the figure. As the artist explains: “To create my elongated figures requires knowledge and respect for anatomy. I know the structure of the body perfectly. Then, I begin to try out distortions and deformations, which I think works very well. I am able to create my own characters, each with their own soul and personality” (the artist quoted in Melissa Mui, “Rafa Macarrón Explores Shape-Shifting Characters at La Nave”, Whitewall Art, 20 July, 2021). Further, his figures blend surrealist and expressionist elements, with the artist also citing Jean Dubuffet, Manuel Lança Bonifacio and Alfonso Fraile as his influences. Indeed, Macarrón’s work follows in the lineage of Dubuffet’s art brut, roughly translating to “raw art”, eschewing traditional and classical conventions of painting in the desire for a purer art, deriving more from intuition. Further, the artist has placed his work in the context of Spanish painting, influenced by the El Paso group in Madrid as well as the New Figuration in Latin America, commenting that: “I have had a very direct relationship with the Spanish painting, I have practically grown up in the Prado Museum, the best art gallery in the world. I am very proud to be part of Spanish painting tradition. Goya’s black paintings have always moved me, and of course Las Meninas by Velázquez, which I consider the best work” (Ibid.).

Glowing different hues of magenta, Matilda is a superb example of the artist’s work and his ability to create a mood through colour. The artist elaborated: “I create the background and then I place the figure. I use the extremities of the figures, textures, or background elements to break with the flatness and generate volumes, textures, and a sense of perspective. Colors also help me create atmospheres, like when I use magentas to generate warmth”, as exemplified by the engulfing warmth that radiates from the present work (the artist quoted in, “Artist Interview: Rafa Macarron”, Street Art News, 26 October 2021, online). Brimming with enthralling details, the focus of Matilda is on his signature, otherworldly figures, depicted smoking and standing around a dominant central figure, a horse-like form upon which a smaller figure with long red fingernails appears perched, holding loose black reins. Discussing the importance of his characters as the focus of his work, the artist stated: “I have always liked to transgress reality and invent like-cosmic spaces that relate to the characters. With flat backgrounds I manage to enhance the figure, and thus give more prominence to the character” (Ibid.).

In 2021, Macarrón exhibited at CAC, Málaga, Spain, followed by the first solo exhibition by a Spanish artist at La Fundacion La Nave Salinas, Ibiza, Spain. Other exhibitions also include Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Alicante, Spain; Museo DA2, Salamanca, Spain; and his work is displayed at such institutions as the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, New York; Fundación BMW, Spain; Caja Campo, Valladolid, Spain; and Colección Mercadona, Spain; among others.

西 班牙藝術家拉法·馬卡龍從日常得到靈感，為普通不過的俗世生活添注趣怪奇異的氣息，捕捉平淡生活中的一絲刺激和幽默。馬卡龍是受過專業訓練的物理治療師，深知人體形態結構，他認為所受訓練對其筆下人物的扭曲姿態有直接影響，他解釋道：「要繪畫這些拉長的人物，需要對人體結構有所認識，並懷有崇敬之情。我非常了解人體結構，於是我開始嘗試讓它扭曲和變形，覺得效果也很好。我能夠創造自己的人物，每個人物都有各自的靈魂和個性」（引述藝術家，載於梅麗莎·梅撰，〈拉法·馬卡龍在La Nave Salinas基金會探討變形人物〉，《Whitewall Art》，2021年7月20日）。此外，馬卡龍的人物融合超現實主義與表現主義的元素，他也提及過尚·杜布菲、曼紐爾·蘭沙·博尼法西奧和阿方索·費雷爾等藝術家對他影響深遠。誠然，馬卡龍的作品沿襲杜布菲的「原生藝術」，其意思大致是「原始藝術」，它們摒棄傳統上以繪畫追求純粹藝術的做法，更多是從直覺發展創作。馬卡龍認為自己的作品在西班牙繪畫的發展脈絡中，直接受馬德里的前衛藝術團體「埃爾帕索」（El Paso）和拉丁美洲的新具象運動影響，他表示：「我與西班牙繪畫有非常直接的關係，我簡直是看普拉多美術館的藝術品長大的，那是世上最好的藝廊。我對身為西班牙繪畫傳統的一分子感到非常自豪，戈雅的暗黑繪畫一直觸動我的心靈，當然還有維拉斯蓋茲的《宮女》，我覺得那是最優秀的作品」（同上）。

《瑪蒂爾達》煥發著各種色調的洋紅，展現他運用顏色營造氣氛的才能，是拉法·馬卡龍的優秀代表作。他表示：「我繪畫背景後再放入人物，利用人物、質感和背景元素中的各種極致打破平面性，產生具體質量、質感和透視感。色彩也有助營造氣氛，例如用不同色調的洋紅製造暖意」（引述藝術家，〈藝術家專訪：拉法·馬卡龍〉，《Street Art News》，2021年10月26日，摘錄自網絡）；本作散發彷似能吞噬畫面的溫暖感，堪為例證。本作充滿迷人的細節，當中的焦點一定是各種造型異想天開的人物形象，形態像馬的生物佔據大部分畫面，體型較小的人物留著長長的紅指甲，手持黑色韁繩騎在馬形生物上，吸煙的人則站在旁邊。藝術家認為，以人物為作品焦點十分重要，他說：「我一直喜歡超越現實，設計與人物相關、類近宇宙的空間。正是在平面的背景上，我才可以加強人物，令人物更加突出」（同上）。馬卡龍的作品在世界各地支持者眾，2021年馬拉加當代藝術中心和伊維薩島La Nave Salinas基金會分別為他舉行展覽，以表揚其藝術成就，堪稱其藝術生涯的一大里程碑。