MANUEL RIVERA

A founding member of the El Paso group, Manuel Rivera (Granada 1927, Madrid 1995) is undoubtedly the artist most representative of the abstract search that characterizes his generation.

Rivera is above all recognized for having broken new ground by using a new means of expression, a material as unaesthetic as wire mesh. Thus, his originality lies not only in the medium used but also in the difficulty involved in his categorization as an artist: he cannot be characterized as a sculptor but even less as a painter.

Manuel Rivera plays with superimpositions of meshes of different densities, which allows him to obtain not only different geometric configurations but also a whole range of lights and shadows that the canvases project on the background. The two pieces presented here are key from a historical point of view to understand the extraordinary creativity of this artist: the canvas painting was created in 1956 and the metallic one in 1958.

The first one allows us to appreciate how Rivera, before elaborating his own formal grammar with metallic meshes, was already investigating with meshes of different wefts and warps, also playing with slightly different pigments.

The second painting is part of his first trials with metallic meshes. It is worth noting the importance given from the beginning to the projection of shadows by incorporating supports that distance the canvases from the background. The same wooden background painted in white is the work of Rivera, also demonstrating his attention to detail and his concern for monochrome. These early works thus encompass Rivera's essentials, which allowed him, as early as 1957, to achieve great recognition both nationally and at important international fairs, particularly the São Paulo and Venice Biennials.

EXHIBITED WORKS:

-Untitled, 1956
-Metamorphosis, 1958