José Luis Fernández

(Oviedo, 1943)

Untitled

1985

cast bronze (1/20)

28 x 58 x 20 cm

Inv. no. E00251

BBVA Collection Spain


The work of this sculptor from Asturias demonstrates a heightened ability to assimilate different styles. One can note for instance an evident evolution in his study of matter, first of all as an apprentice at the workshops of major sculptors and then later when he opened his own casting workshop where he produced a prolific quantity of excellent artisan pieces. The artist then moved away from industrial work to concentrate instead on artistic sculptures.
 
His style evolved from his beginnings in figuration, close to the style of Henry Moore (1898-1986), gradually moving towards abstraction based on his experimentation with materials and the interrelationship between solid material and the void. He was capable of using any materials that came to hand, handling them with consummate control, be it stone, wood, bronze, concrete, plastic or resin. Likewise, he employed them in all kinds of works, from monumental pieces to multiples, leaving good evidence of his great creativity and artistic versatility. As a sculptor, he believed in the personal engagement with the spectator and the need to convey, through his works, the idea that materials are vehicles through which to transmit a message.
 
This work in bronze is a good example of the transformation his sculpture underwent in the eighties. The asymmetric piece seems to depict bones or cartilage in a balanced though apparently unstable arrangement. It shares certain similarities with other works by the artist from the same period, such as the works from the Orgánicas seriesor the Encuentros series, both from the same year as this piece.