Soledad Sevilla

(Valencia, 1944)

Número 1 (Number 1)

1995

oil on canvas

100.3 x 140.2 cm

Inv. no. 4160

BBVA Collection Spain



Soledad Sevilla’s minimalist beginnings in painting gave way to
and from there, via installation, painting and drawing, to an exploration in truly lyrical works of how light, space and matter are all inextricably interconnected.

Número 1 is part of a body of work Sevilla painted following an installation she created for Vélez Blanco Castle (Almería) in which she filled in the missing parts of the castle with projections. Her avowed interest in working in series is because it gives her a chance to focus on the actual evolution and development of her ideas. The series of paintings on canvas she undertook inspired by the above experience represented walls with windows.

Initially, the work was to be titled Vélez Blanco oro, although in the end the artist decided to change its name. In any case, that “gold” from the original title is evident in the rectangle of golden light that occupies the centre of this painting: a window opening in a dark wall and casting light over the whole work. In spite of being confined to a specific area, its reflections expand across the surface, suffusing it with great lyricism.