August Vilella's solo exhibition “Autumn Symphony” is currently on view at Caelis Galeria Shanghai with brand new 17 artworks.
Vilella’s approach is first and foremost due to his surreal-intuitive method. In front of the blank canvas, the artist relaxes the control of the rational, subjective consciousness, allowing his subconscious mind to take charge of the brush. The stored images, collecting in the daytime and potentially existing in the deep memory, gradually slip out from under his brush. Themes, characters, spectacles and key elements of the work thus emerge.
These elements, however, are not scenes from the everyday life, but surreal visions developed and shaped by Vilella’s subconscious tunnel. They are about to be collaged and glued to form a new mystery. Unrelated images and objects become unexpectedly but closely connected within a melancholy atmosphere, making these scenes recognizable for the viewers.
After figures and scenes being created through the tunnel of the subconscious mind, August Vilella begins the process of working with careful realist techniques. The fine brushstrokes, layered with thin, transparent oil paint, constitute another important aspect that makes up the artist’s style. Compared to large, thick brushstrokes, these meticulous brushworks and flimsy layers have always been a challenge both for the subconscious image generation stage or the stage of fixing the scene with the pigments.
They require the artist to keep vigilant and working with precision, care and permanence. Nevertheless, it is these fine brushstrokes that allow Vilella to form his emblematic objects, such as the fine fuzz, the multi-bifurcated forms and the porous coral reefs. They also permit the artist to balance the textures of clouds, grasses, flames, and waves between heaviness and lightness.