Eleazar (painter) facts for kids

Eleazar is a Spanish artist who creates both paintings and sculptures. He was born in 1954 in a town called Siles, Jaén, in Spain. Since 1979, he has lived and worked in Barcelona, where his art studio is located.

Eleazar's Early Life and Art Journey

Eleazar was born in 1954 in Siles, a town in the Jaén province of Andalusia, Spain. He moved to Barcelona when he was young and has lived there ever since.

How Eleazar Creates His Art

Eleazar often works on art projects in series. This means he creates several related artworks that explore a single idea or theme.

What Inspires Eleazar's Art?

Eleazar gets ideas from many places. Some of his influences include:

• Graffiti: The street art you see on walls.
• Art Brut: This is a type of art made by people who are not formally trained. A famous Art Brut artist named Jean Dubuffet has inspired Eleazar. Eleazar even made a sculpture called The Employee of the Year as a tribute to Dubuffet.
• African Masks: He is also inspired by how famous artist Pablo Picasso used African masks in his own art.
• Children's Drawings and Comics: The simple, bold style of drawings by kids and comic books also influences him.
• Francisco Goya: He looks at the engravings (a type of printmaking) by the old Spanish master Francisco Goya.

An expert named Ángel Gómez Moreno says Eleazar's paintings often look like medieval art. This means they have a "flat space," where things don't look like they have a lot of depth.

Eleazar's Unique Art Style

Eleazar uses his art to share his thoughts on cultural ideas and social topics. He often uses irony (saying one thing but meaning the opposite) and satire (using humor to criticize something).

His paintings are a mix of different techniques:

• Collage: Sticking different materials onto the canvas.
• Graffiti-like brushwork: Using paint in a bold, quick way, similar to graffiti.
• Mixed-media: He uses things like charcoal, written words, and even makes cuts into his paintings.

The people in his paintings can be politicians, friends, or family members. Others are "archetypal prototypes." These are like classic examples of people from the rural Spain where Eleazar grew up.

The figures in his art have a special look. They are often drawn with sharp, angled shapes and strong black outlines. This makes them look very graphic, almost like a drawing from a comic book. Some people have compared them to ancient Sumerian statues or even wooden puppets.

Exhibitions and Important Artworks

Eleazar has shown his art in many exhibitions across Spain and in other countries. One of his art series is a special tribute to the female characters from the famous Spanish novel, Don Quixote.

Once, an exhibition of his called Eleazar's Tour 2010-2011 was removed from public display. Some officials felt that the artworks were too critical of politicians and how women were shown. Eleazar's art dealer felt this was wrong, saying the art was removed without telling them. Eleazar himself said he felt that the people who removed his art were confusing the message of the paintings with the person who created them.

An example of his art that makes people think about society is a painting called Político intachable busca partido sin escrúpulos. This translates to "Unimpeachable politician seeks unscrupulous party." This painting shows business people, politicians, and other officials. It makes viewers think about important issues in society.

Later, Eleazar had another show called From the Austrias to Spain is Different. In this show, he playfully copied famous Spanish paintings, like The Triumph of Bacchus by the master artist Diego Velázquez.

Gallery

• 

  Las Meninas y un servidor. 220x180

• 

  The group of the four Caliphs. 210x150

• 

  The Family. 210x150

• 

  The Birth of Venus. 150x150.

• 

  Spain is Different. 240x160

See also

In Spanish: Eleazar (pintor) para niños