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2025
Oil on canvas
150 x 150 cm | 59.1 x 47.2 in.
USD 6,500
Miguel Hernández Bastos employs a unique technique in his artworks, using pencil, charcoal, acrylic paint, and the unconventional medium of smoke from an oil lamp, which burns onto the canvas like pigment. This distinctive approach allows him to explore themes of metamorphosis and the fleeting essence of the human form, while also incorporating historical symbolism associated with the candle in Renaissance portraiture.
In Despertar (which translates to “Awakening”), Hernández Bastos paints a solitary figure emerging from an intricate, unfolding form, and dense, painterly layers of oil. While smoke is absent from this work, its influence is felt in the softness of the transitions and the sense of fleeting transformation held within the figure’s gesture.
Hernández Bastos often integrates mechanical elements into his compositions, such as this awakening painting, as his figures seem to float and merge across the canvas, imbuing his works with a futuristic quality. Despite this, he balances historical symbolism with themes of eroticism, tenderness, and isolation, creating a multi-dimensional narrative.
Predominantly working in black and white, Hernández Bastos often applies subtle colour over smoke to add depth and enhance the presence of his figures. In Despertar, he shifts toward a richer palette, using oil alone to create a complex surface where colour becomes central to the painting’s emotional and spatial depth.
Framing not included. Shipping: This artwork will be rolled for shipment.
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange
USD 2,000 – 5,000
large
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