Antonio López: the light, emotion and memories of his life in Madrid

Antonio López speaks like he paints. His words reveal the truth in the same way that his paintings reveal his unique vision of the world. His latest collaboration with ARTIKA, Landscapes, is a work through which López shares his life and artistic career.

An artist’s childhood

Antonio López moved to Madrid when he was 13. His uncle, a respected painter, discovered that he had a natural talent. Antonio has fond memories of his mentor: “he convinced my father that I should start studying painting”. In 1950 he passed his entrance exam and started studying Fine Arts in Madrid, the city where he eventually decided to build a future for himself.

Left. Jarra y pan, 1949 (first drawing from life). Photography ©Legado Isabel Almolda.

Right. Bodegón con pan y jarra, 1949. ©Photographic archive of the Antonio López Studio.

Discovering Madrid

During his apprenticeship, Antonio replaced the light and colours of his native Tomelloso with a new urban landscape: “the first paintings I did of Madrid were in ’53, from the balcony of the boarding house where I was staying. The figurative painter paints what is in front of him, and if you’re in Madrid, you paint Madrid”. Antonio always expresses himself like this – directly, emphatically. His words are as clear as his ideas on the canvas.

Detail - Niño con tirador, 1953. Oil on canvas, 94,5 × 130 cm. ©Photographic archive of the Antonio López Studio.

Inspiration and emotion

How does he choose what to paint? “I began by painting the streets, not the historic streets of Madrid or historic places, but the ordinary places: they were the ones that moved me most”. This is why the genesis of one of his paintings is usually tied to a memory or a feeling: “the first painting I did on the street was in Plaza de Carlos V, where the Atocha station is. That square meant a lot to me because it was the entry point to Madrid from La Mancha”.

Atocha, 1964, óleo sobre tabla, 95 x 105 cm. © Archivo fotográfico del Estudio de Antonio López.

Landscapes

Antonio López's second collaboration with ARTIKA is called Landscapes. This is a living work, one in which the artist was involved in every step of crafting the final result: López chose the images from among his paintings and drawings and hand-wrote his memories and reflections. He also provided photographs from his personal archive.

Antonio López signed all 2,998 copies of this exclusive edition. It covers his beginnings, his career, the most influential people in his life and his still unfinished projects.

Landscapes is the art book that offers a glimpse into Antonio López’s inner world. It is his most intimate work. In his own words: “What you give to others isn’t a vision of the place but your vision of the place. That’s where the secret lies”.