In order to understand Joven’s paintings we have to take account of his oriental influences; only then can we make sense of the silent spaces which shape the work of this artist, whose treatment of figurative representation, light and shade creates a new reality, of a weightless and mysterious nature. Indeed, this picture pays homage to the city of Nara, which conveys a sense of spirituality through its silence and which made a deep impression on the artist when he visited Japan.

José Joven’s work falls within an abstract idiom which attaches great importance to the materially rich, dense background and to the relationship between that background and the motifs which appear on it. He makes much use of signs such as crosses, X-shapes and circles, the last of which are basic elements in this composition.

The artist shows us a new reality, perpetually open and incomplete, in which he leaves spaces for the viewer to fill. The surfaces are full of information and personal experience and of little fragments of reality. His subject matter is therefore memory, time and natural surroundings, generating powerful ethereal messages.

In this specific case the outlines of his geometric vocabulary are weaker by comparison with the previous works. The lines of the forms merge into the background and are almost buried, like elements evoking the imaginary atmosphere of a dream. We should note the presence of a network of squares on the left of the picture, an unusual element in his compositions, recalling certain formats in Japanese prints, as well as the anti-naturalist energy of Kazimir Malévich (1878-1935) and Piet Mondrian (1872-1944).

On a nebulous surface of superimposed layers of colour, which allow the blacks of the background to show through, he creates a chromatic atmosphere of creams, whites and greys. A red spot stands out strongly against it, providing a compositional centre which focuses the viewer’s attention. This visual reference point is offset by a black stroke reminiscent of some sort of plant element, like a slender stem which balances the work and gives the spot directionality.