Empordaguia

Because of his dimensions, the realism of his subjects, because of the cold that rises from an apparently warm scene, because of his ability to unite a group of people who do not know each other from his surroundings around a table; because of his lost gaze, because of his distance notwithstanding proximity; because of the presence of meals, even though one might consist of a piece of bread… perhaps because we stand very close by. For many reasons, only seconds after we enter the studio of Manolo Sierra (Chiclana, Cadiz, 1973) in Sant Pere Pescador, we look at this painting made five years ago. We feel a strange urge to return to this painting, and we soon realize that this is to protect ourselves from the fear caused by another work on paper, hanging close by on the wall. Its yellowish hue and curl reveal that it has been there for some time. It shows an elegant feminine face assuredly scrutinizing death with a blue stare; a death that arrived only a short while after the pencil traced her agony. Half way between the painting of the dinner table and the drawing of the woman with the cold skin and blue eyes, a small bicycle belonging to the artist’s son stands on a paper full of childish scrawls full of energy, warmth, innocence, and future.

Manolo Serra is a voracious observer of the world around him. I need to watch everything that happens, because everything happens so quickly. His ability to reproduce e all he sees with precise realism is unquestionable, but he transcends the surface, and what most attracts our attention is all that remains hidden and in silence. Perhaps this is the result of his main concern that is finding a point of departure. He has worked a lot from photographs, dissecting the psychological traits it reveals of the characters and landscapes depicted. Lately he has been concentrating on prints and letting his imagination roam. Prints are his main instrument when fancy and spontaneity rule; the small luminous pieces with their intense surrealist accents in his studio are a good example of this work. At present he is seeking a new orientation for his work, letting his brushes work from live views in their purest form. He has started with that which is closest to him, interior views of his studio. He is waiting for overcast, grey days that he so much enjoys putting in contrast with peaceful and cordial scenes such as the group around the table. He is passionate about observing people. He has developed his technique with self-portraits, but he prefers to leave the “I” and capture feelings, movements, and emotions of others.

The settled routine of a nomad spirit

After studying at the school of arts in Seville, Serra went to Carrara with an Erasmus scholarship. Here he met his partner, Thaïs, from Barcelona. After spending some years in the Catalan capital, they travelled to South America, visiting Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba. On returning home, some friends took them to the Empordà, where they took root. After six months in Saus, they moved to Albons, where they live with their three year old son adapted to routine. They are contemplating a trip to some warm place. Manolo Serra’s daily life is divided between the hours his son is at school, when he works in his studio in Sant Pere Pescador. Being a father has set limits to his painting, which he used to do for 15 hours without stopping. I’m hooked, I’m dedicated to painting, he explains.