If it is worth to be lived, it is worth to be painted. In that order. In the oil paintings of Cadiz-born Pepe Baena (1979) there is a succession of genre scenes from his own life -the Colacaos are those of his children, the corners and scenes of his Andalusia and the portraits of his loved ones- and from November 20 a selection of them can be seen in his new exhibition in the capital, Levante en calma (Levante in Calm).
The exhibition, whose admission is free, can be visited until December 4 at the Maria Porto & David Bardia Gallery (Villanueva Street, 40) and makes a sort of review of the iconography of Andalusian culture through images such as tiles, fried fish or its characteristic courtyards.
And although all the scenes are based on the intimacy and everyday life of the artist -or precisely because of the authenticity that all this gives to his work-, it is inevitable that they resonate with the public: how not to recognize oneself in a half-open package of cookies on the kitchen table? Or in a blue fridge on a day at the beach?
The famous Andalusian account Malacara summed it up in a video as follows: “…And painting was the least important thing. The important thing was to celebrate life, to celebrate all that you had already seen, but had not noticed. Celebrating the everyday, celebrating fried fish, celebrating for the sake of celebrating. […] That’s why I like his paintings. Because in a certain way I was there too when he painted them [sic]“.
Pepe Baena’s work in social networks
Social networks have played an important role in the dissemination of Pepe Baena’s work: there, as if they were diary entries, the artist has been sharing his oil paintings, which have been very well received by the public: his breakfasts, without going any further, have accumulated thousands of likes.
More exhibitions in November in Madrid
Pepe Baena’s is one of the essential exhibitions that can be visited in Madrid throughout the month of November, in addition to others such as the great retrospectives dedicated to Maruja Mallo, Alfredo Alcain or Matisse. You can find more information about them in this article.