Cristobal Ortega

Cristóbal Ortega is a contemporary artist born in Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga, in 1970. His work is characterized by the representation of successions of pictorial notes of diverse timbres and shapes, harmonized as in a captivating score. Ortega holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Granada, although much of his artistic training is self-taught. He currently lives and works between Beijing and Málaga. His unique pictorial conception gives rise to works in which masses of oil paint abound on the reverse sides. A technique based on sweating, that is, the transpirance of oil through the fine layers of linen. Colors that intermingle and interact, generating synergies and movements. Liquid brushstrokes ripple in a universe that announces change. The essence of his works arises from the harmonization of opposites, from momentum and restraint, from expression and formality, from substance and form, from what lies deep within and what moves on the surface, from what Gilles Deleuze called "the haptic." Ortega has exhibited his work in numerous national and international galleries and art centers, and has participated in important art fairs such as ARCOmadrid and Art Beijing. He has received recognitions such as the Regional Prize for Plastic Arts from the Málaga Provincial Council in 2007 and First Prize in the Focus-Abengoa Foundation International Painting Competition in 2011. His work can be found in important public and private collections, such as the Focus-Abengoa Foundation, the Unicaja Foundation, the Los Bragales Collection, and the Banco Sabadell Collection.