Gaston Orellana

Infobox Artist
name = Gaston Orellana

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caption = Gaston Orellana, photograph by Mimmo da Brescia, courtesy of Edizioni d'Arte Severgnini
birthname =
birthdate = 18 July 1933
location = Valparaiso, Chile
deathdate =
deathplace =
nationality = Spanish
field = painting
training = Escuela de Bellas Artes de Viña del Mar, Chile; Universidad de Chile, Santiago; Royal Academy, London
movement = Neo-figurative, Post-Conceptualism
works = The Train in Flames, Crucifixion no 1, Triptico en forma de T Invertida
patrons =
awards =

Gaston Orellana, (born 18 July 1933) is a Spanish painter. Orellana was born in Valparaiso, Chile in 1933, son of Spanish immigrant parents Armando de Orellana, an engineer, and Ernestina del Transito née Morgadon. Although born abroad, Orellana was born into the ancient aristocratic house of Orellana la Vieja, from Extremadura, Spain. He has since lived in Spain, Italy, the USA the UK and France. [Ramirez, Manuel Martin "Orellana 1945-1975" (Madrid 1975, Heliodoro) ISBN 84-400-8803-5]

Early career

in 1959. [ibid]
In his earliest works, Orellana shows some of the signs that were to become the Neo-figuration, with expressive and yet undefined figures. Orellana's works from this period are distinguished for their almost monochromatic nature, where most figures appear in black and grayscale, to the point that, even though there is a predominant use of oxides and sand, they had an almost watercoulour appeareance. On 8th December 1959, the Grupo Hondo proclaims its Neo-figurative theoric principles in a manifesto written by the poet Manuel Conde, of which Orellana is a founding member. In this period, Orellana reaches maturity as an artist, and his paintings reach the confluence of informal abstraction and the mannerism of an existential figuration that would seem even mystical in its representation. In this period, Orellana's work is enriched in terms of colour and texture, developing his artistic expression in a most definite manner.

New York years

. [Trini, Tommaso "Orellana" exhibition catalogue (Milan 1990 Mazzotta Editore) ISBN 88-202-0951-9 048-0554-2]
In 1966 he started a thriving business relationship with the New York dealer Martha Jackson who introduced him to the movement that was to result in the historic exhibition at the MOMA "The New Image of Man". In 1967 he exhibits at the Bienville Gallery, in New Orleans, for the first time. In this period, Orellana participated in several academic pursuits: lecturing at The State University of New Jersey; particicipating as a member of the Art Coalition; and publishing several antibelligerant articles in New York's Village Voice and the magazine Rampart. In 1970 he represents Spain at the XXV Venice Biennale. Among other works exhibited at the Spanish pavilion is "Train in Flames", an enormous triptych that was the focus of an in-depth analysis by critics Luigi Carluccio and Elvira Cassa Salvi [Cassa Salvi, Elvira "Maestri Contemporanei vol.17: ORELLANA" (Milan 1976, Vanessa Edizioni d'Arte) Reg. Trib. Milano N.306 del 20-9-1976] . Acting on the advice of James Johnson Sweeney the famous business baron and patron of the arts Joseph Hirshhorn bought this painting and with the remainder of the works shown at the Biennale. The monumental triptych became part of the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from the day of its opening in 1974. [Lerner, Abram "The Hirshhorn Museum and Sclupture Garden" (New York 1974, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) ISBN 0-8109-0165-X] In 1975 the monograph volume "Orellana 1945-75" was presented at the Circulo Internacional de Prensa, Madrid, published by Heliodoro (Madrid). The book included essays by Jose M. Moreno Galvan, Enrico Crispolti, Charles Spencer, Paulino Posade and Vicente Aguilera Cerni. [Ramirez, Manuel Martin "Orellana 1945-1975" (Madrid 1975, Heliodoro) ISBN 84-400-8803-5]
The paintings from this period are most remarkable for the vividness of the extreme violence and even the human denigration that is often depicted. Such representations are however, also rich in a lyrical content that was to characterise the artist from then on. The juxtaposition of the international tendencies that formed Orellana took a more definite form in this period: his old Spanish inheritance, the input from America, the wealth of archaeological culture and Italy with Conceptualism and Arte Povera. The artist had a solo show at the stand of Juana Mordo at the FIAC 1978 [Comission FIAC, "FIAC 78" catalogue, (Paris 1978, Impression SMI) Dep. Leg. 5805042] , Paris, France. These amalgamated into a whole that paved the way for new developments in Orellana's work.

Recent years

, and then finally in 2000 to France, where he still lives and works. [de Sanna, Jole "Gaston Orellana Orestea" (Cernusco sul Naviglio-Milan 2003, Edizioni d'Arte Severgnini) ]
In 1986 the Museo Español de Arte Contemporaneo hosted an exhibition of his works from 1970 to 1986. In 1991 he exhibited at the Spazio Ansaldo, Milan, in an installation designed by Renzo Piano [Trini, Tommaso "Orellana" exhibition catalogue (Milan 1990 Mazzotta Editore) ISBN 88-202-0951-9 048-0554-2] , and more spectacular was an exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, which was widly commented upon by the critic Roberto Tassi [Tassi, Roberto "Orellana" exhibition catalogue (Tai-Pei 1993, TFAM Ed.) ISBN 957-00-2443-7] . In 1995, an incredible exhibition was shown at the Casa Das Artes in Vigo Spain, crucial from a critical point of view, as the critic Marco Ricardo Barnatán wrote in the exhibition catalogue, for its statement of Orellana's renewed aesthetic and realisation ideals and pratice, a trait that indeed has marked the work of the artist ever since. Christian Stein, at the gates of the Spanish Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale, declared that "Orellana is the most interesting artist that Spain has created since Tapies and Miro" [de Sanna, Jole "Gaston Orellana Orestea" (Cernusco sul Naviglio-Milan 2003, Edizioni d'Arte Severgnini) ] . In 1998, his gallery, Christian Stein, showed his works in a solo pavilion at the ARCO art fair in Madrid [ARCO'98 CATALOGUE, (Madrid 1998, ARCO/IFEMA. Feria de Madrid) ISBN 84-8215-088-X] .
The work of this period shows a marked evolution from the works of the New York years, with colossal ensemblages, graffitto technique achieved by scraping the bare oil paint from the canvas, revealing the background, and the collage of various elements, especially metal and ancient mirrors. Exemplary of this initial transition is the series "Bronx Around", exhibited both in Milan and Caceres, Spain. Jole de Sanna presented the latest works of the artist in the volume "Gaston Orellana Orestea", where she writes that "The entire history of painting and the experience of art during the second half of the XXth Century do not escape being captured by Orellana" [de Sanna, Jole "Gaston Orellana Orestea" (Cernusco sul Naviglio-Milan 2003, Edizioni d'Arte Severgnini) ] . Although internationally renowned, there have been few opportunities to see paintings of Gaston Orellana in Britain recently.

References