There comes a moment in the career of a realist painter when he decides the form his discourse will take, or rather, how equidistant it will be from the tradition in which it is based. For Javier Ruiz Perez, that identity has taken different paths, such as urban art or figuration in the strictest sense. Now, that vision of the world comes to us with nuances, like a subtle renunciation of detail in favor of an expressive brushstroke committed to everyday life.

Let’s say that Javier’s approach to reality resembles the idea of the hermeneutic circle, of apprehending the totality from a detail that we understand thanks to that same totality. It is the small features and everyday attitudes of his characters that mark the dialogue with a whole that, at first glance, might seem alien to us.

Javier’s paintings abound in non-places, bare fields, and plateaus where the human soul is reduced to a minimum expression. Hence, his protagonists work, play, and exist without answering the reasons that have led them to such places. The decontextualization is important since it evidences the features that give character to the work, whether it is the elimination of the costume codes or the addition of objects and attitudes of necessary disparity. In this world in transition, he enjoys a broad perspective on the ideas that precede him and those he wishes to achieve.

From there, his experience says the rest. He creates a lively snapshot – natural in its colors, faithful in its forms – where the portrayed also experiences that transition. Some exhibit civilized attitudes, socially transcendent, while others remain at an early but no less sophisticated stage.

It could be said that these works are grateful to the exhibition format. Each piece participates in the old artistic game of creating a window into another reality. It also establishes a dialogic relationship with the wall that houses them, in which we glimpse Javier’s experience as a muralist.

The totality of Javier’s previous experiences shows up at some point in his works, giving richness to the whole. This is a good sign since we are dealing with a young artist from whom we have yet to enjoy more risk and evolution.

Javier Ruiz (Jaén, 1989) began studying Graphic Design in Jaén in 2007. In 2013 he studied Higher Studies in Illustration in Madrid. In 2014 he took a painting and color theory workshop in Los Angeles (USA).

The artist has received several awards throughout his career:

La Rural contest (2010), selected in FIGURATIVAS ’11 (2011), selected in Emilio Ollero contest (2011), honorable mention in Real Ateneo de Sevilla contest (2013), honorable mention in MODportrait contest (2014), winner in the Bienal de Pintura Deportiva de Burgos (2015).