Gabino Gaona, Castilian Landscape, 1950s, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

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Oil on canvas “Castilian Landscape” Gabino Gaona, 1950s - Simancas Group, Valladolid

A magnificent oil on canvas by Gabino Gaona … Read more Oil on canvas “Castilian Landscape” Gabino Gaona, 1950s - Simancas Group, Valladolid

A magnificent oil on canvas by Gabino Gaona (1933 Valoria la Buena–2007 Valladolid), an artist associated with the Simancas Group. It depicts a traditional scene of the Castilian countryside with a flat horizon and farmland surrounding a small village from which wooded areas rise. The sky appears dark and heavy, probably just after sunset, judging by the rosy hues. The lower portion is darker, with earthy tones predominating. The brushstroke chosen for this area is impasto and highlights the rugged character of the landscape.

The Castilian countryside, a paradigmatic theme for the Simancas Group, is treated here in a traditional style, typical of their early period, which lasted until 1957. These are paintings with cool, ochre colors, comparable to the works of expressionists like Munch. Solana and Goya's Black Paintings also influenced his work.

Gabino Gaona was born in 1933 in Valoria la Buena (Valladolid) and began painting as a child. He moved to Madrid in the early 1950s on the recommendation of the sculptor Eduardo Capa to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. He did not complete his studies there, as he considered the academic teaching too mechanical and restrictive. During this time, he came into contact with the work of Benjamín Palencia, which greatly impressed him and influenced his own work. Upon returning to Valladolid, he began exhibiting at the Galería Castilla and associating with the initial Simancas group: Fernando Santiago, Félix Cuadrado-Lomas, Francisco Sabadell, and others. from that moment on, his painting became more experimental, and his chromatic range expanded, bringing him closer to the artistic universe of Cuadrado-Lomas. In the 1980s, he evolved towards a more personal style, with a freer brushstroke capable of conveying greater emotion.

The Simancas Group was an artists' collective active between 1967 and 2007 that revitalized the art scene of Castile and León in the mid-20th century. Its origins lie in the meetings and discussions that took place around the Relieve Bookstore in Valladolid from the early 1960s onward, developing more as a circle of friendship and intellectual exchange than as an artistic movement bound by a shared aesthetic doctrine.

Other prominent members included Jorge Vidal, Domingo Criado, Gabino Gaona, and Fernando Santiago (Jacobo). Although their approaches and styles were diverse, they shared a desire for renewal and an openness to the languages ​​of modernity, with a particular emphasis on Expressionism. The Castilian landscape became one of their main areas of research, approached from a contemporary perspective that allowed them to transcend its merely descriptive representation, transforming it into a space of synthesis, emotion, and artistic expression.

• Category: Painting
• Technique: Oil on canvas
• Title: Castilian Landscape
• Artist: Gabino Gaona
• Signed: Signed in the lower left corner “G. Gaona”.

• School: Simancas Group
• Period: Second half of the 20th century
• Dimensions: Overall dimensions 101 x 120 x 4 cm. Unframed: 80 x 98 cm.

• Condition: Good condition for its age and use
• Provenance: Private collection in Valladolid

Bibliography:

Corral Castanedo, Antonio; Ramón García Domínguez and Mª Teresa Ortega-Coca. Gabino. Caja de Ahorros Provincial de Valladolid, 1988.

Simancas Group. Landscape – Color – Expression. Exhibition Catalog, Patio Herreriano Museum. Villalar Foundation, Castile and León, 2011. This piece has an attribution mark,
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