Isabel Bacardit facts for kids

Maria Isabel Preñanosa Bacardit (born in Barcelona in 1960) is a talented Spanish painter. She is known for her unique art style and how her life experiences have shaped her work.

Early Life and Art

Isabel Bacardit was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1960. She began learning art at the School of Arts of Poblenou, where Miquel Simó was her teacher. Later, she continued her studies at the Escola d’Arts Aplicades i Oficis Artistics (Llotja) in Barcelona.

When she first started, Isabel was an abstract painter. This means her art didn't show real-life objects exactly as they look. Instead, she used shapes, colors, and textures to express ideas and feelings. She often painted on materials she found, like cardboard and wood. She even mixed pigments (colors) with sawdust and paper-paste to make her paintings thick and textured. Her early works often used bright, basic colors like red, blue, and yellow.

Growing as an Artist

Isabel's talent was quickly recognized. In 1984, she was chosen for the Fifth Biennale of Barcelona, an important art show for young painters. The next year, in 1985, she participated in the First Exhibition of Young Art in Madrid. She also took part in the First Biennale of Young Cultural Productions of the European Mediterranean. In 1986, she was again selected for the Second Exhibition of Young Art in Madrid.

Changes in Her Art

A big change happened in Isabel's art after her partner, the painter Xavier Vidal i Banchs, passed away in 1984. This sad event made her change the themes of her paintings. She started to explore how unexpected life changes affect us.

She created a series of artworks inspired by The Disasters of War by the famous artist Goya. She also painted based on photographs of accidents she saw in newspapers. Her color palette changed too, moving from bright colors to darker, earthy tones.

Reflecting Her Surroundings

In 1986, Barcelona was getting ready for the 1992 Summer Olympics. There was a lot of construction happening. Isabel's paintings began to show this transformation, with machines and diggers becoming her main subjects.

In 1987, she illustrated a poem called "Helicón" by Bruno Montané Krebs. She then traveled to Berlin and lived there for a year. In this divided city, she focused on the signs of war still visible on buildings. She had an exhibition called "This is my Silence" in the Vendemmia gallery.

New Inspirations

In 1988, Isabel moved to Mallorca. There, she discovered the theater works of the Polish writer Tadeusz Kantor. His plays inspired her to create a collection of paintings called "The right to live in peace."

In 1989, she settled in Santa Coloma de Farnés, Spain. Surrounded by nature, her art changed dramatically again. She found inspiration in the landscape, light, and silence. She moved away from the heavy, dark themes of death and started using watercolors, creating lighter, more transparent works.

International Experiences

In 1990, Isabel lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She worked with organizations that helped street children, taught painting classes, and set up her studio in the Maria Teresa Vieira gallery. In Salvador de Bahia, she exhibited a series of drawings at the University of Fine Arts.

In 1991, she arrived in Chile. She exhibited her work in the Buchi gallery in Santiago de Chile and lived in Valparaiso. She collaborated with many artists, including painters Edgard del Canto, Alma Martinoia, Ivo Vergara, and Cristina Correa. She also worked with actress Teresa Olivera, stained glass artist Hernan Varela, and actor/director Víctor Barrientos Ormazábal. Together, they founded a theater company called "Theatre only for Fools."

During this time, she began her series called "Earth, Air, Water and Fire." The cultural center Las Condes in Santiago de Chile asked her to create a large sculpture. She built "Bird Woman" out of papier-mache and acrylics, dedicating it to the famous flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya. She also created life-sized puppets for the play "Taca taca mon amour" by Mauricio Celedón for the "Theatre of Silence" company.

Return to Spain

In 1994, Isabel returned to Barcelona. She stopped abstract painting and went back to figurative art, which means painting things that look like real objects. During this period, some of her notable works included:

• An art installation called "Since ever, until when, since ever" for the "Meeting of Street Artists" in Granada.
• An exhibition at the civic center Can Felipa with the group "Art by Women." These works explored themes related to the female body and birth.
• An installation called "Shoe-house Zapata."
• Poetry and music performances with Lucho Hermosilla, Steven Forster, and Gaspar Lucas, based on the poem "Altazor" by Vicente Huidobro.

Mexico and Indigenous Influences

In 1996, Isabel traveled to Mexico. She met the actress Ofelia Medina and connected with the Zapatista communities in Chiapas. She was deeply influenced by their indigenous symbols and spiritual beliefs.

In 1997, she returned to Barcelona. She worked with other artists like Primitiva Reverter and Judit Bacardit to start a magazine called "Adiosas." They also exhibited their art together in the Espai22a gallery.

Traveling and Collaborating

In 1998, Isabel worked with a Dutch traveling theater company called "Azart Ship of Fools." She traveled and performed on their boat, creating masks and costumes for their play "The Pilgrim at the End of the World."

In 1999, she settled in Vilarnadal, Girona, Spain, living in an old mill for six years. There, she focused on painting and cultivating the land.

In 2002, she exhibited her work alongside her sister, the sculptor Judit Bacardit. Their art was shown at the information center of the Parc dels Aiguamolls de l’Empordà and in the Caixa Girona exhibition rooms in Roses. They exhibited there again in 2003. That same year, Isabel participated in a European meeting for women artists called "In Via" in Switzerland.

In 2004, she designed the stage and decorations for a television program called "The Ship of Fools" in Amsterdam.

Since 2005, Isabel Bacardit has been living in Barcelona.

See also

In Spanish: Isabel Bacardit para niños