Torero, King of The Arena

Did you notice? Often, my paintings - like my logo - can be read differently depending on the orientation in which they are viewed, as a way of demonstrating that there are always two ways of seeing things. Since symbols fascinate me, my paintings are also coded: they conceal a message, a riddle, which the viewer is invited to decipher.

For instance, while my painting "Torero, King of the Arena" is entirely abstract, if you observe it in its normal orientation (Photo 1), you may discern a proud matador in full action, whirling his muleta like a lasso, clad in his resplendent "traje de luces"…

PHOTO 1 (upright painting)                       PHOTO 2 (inverted painting)

Yet, when you rotate the painting 360° (Photo 2), both the image and its symbolism undergo a radical transformation. No longer do you see a flamboyant torero, but rather a jackal with a serpent’s tongue, reminiscent of Anubis, lying down, enveloped in the muleta, painted in a downward motion.

This painting denounces the horror of bullfighting, which I regard - apologies to "aficionados", this is merely a personal opinion - as nothing more than "death turned into spectacle." Its purpose is to prompt reflection on the meaning of those things we consider "normal" merely because they are traditional, established, embedded in cultural heritage, and upheld as marks of so-called civilization…

My colors, too, carry particular symbolism:

• Violet, the hue of temperance, balance, and secrecy, signifies the sacred nature of life—something not to be taken lightly (see the swirling movement of the muleta);
• Blood red represents the violent and senseless destruction of that life.
• Pink conveys carefreeness, the tendency to "see life through rose-colored glasses," and the refusal to question either the world or oneself;
• Green subtly references its funereal symbolism in Spanish literature (see "La luna verde" by Federico García Lorca);
• Golden yellow evokes the secret knowledge of good and evil: while fully aware that an animal is being put to death, people still attend the spectacle…

And so, I pose the question: Can the death of an animal truly be considered a celebration? Can one applaud as it collapses to the ground? And if so, who then is the real animal? The bull, who has no choice but to take part in this macabre performance? Or the man, who kills with impunity, merely to achieve what he will later deem an exploit?

The judgment is yours…