The painter in the forest: Agustín Ibarrola Lucía Mendoza gallery Madrid, Spain

Untitled, railroad ties, bolts, enamel, sizes variable, all of the artist’s works have no recorded date, (photos: courtesy of Lucia Mendoza Gallery)

By D. DOMINICK LOMBARDI June 12, 2024 

The current exhibition at Lucía Mendoza gallery is a captivating presentation of paintings, sculptures and assemblages by the late Basque artist Agustín Ibarrola (1930-2023). Considered by many here in Spain to be “a pioneer of outdoor artistic actions,” the art in this exhibition reveals a somewhat primeval and highly spiritual presence in all forms and actions. This feeling of reverence for the mystical is most obvious in the carved, totemic railroad ties, some of which are laced with sawed-off ends of painted dowels or oversized repurposed bolts that were once employed to secure the train rails to the ties. The cuts or carving, and the placement of the wooden nubs or metal bolts adds a feeling of immediacy to the artist’s rather unique aesthetic, while the presentation of these objects directly driven into the age-darkened wood gives them their fetishistic quality.

Keeping in mind these thick, long, rectangular pieces of lumber were once part of a majestic tree, therefore they had to be heavily processed to achieve their more recent ‘functional’ form before they ended up in the hands of the artist. Perhaps once the heart of a mature tree, as a railroad tie, the wood would have been separated from all life support. Ibarrola’s carving, painting and ornamentation of that same dead wood brings them back to life. Nothing like the existence they once had, but restorative nonetheless.

 Installation View

As a point of note, nothing is dated or titled as the artist prefers not to waste time ruminating over such things that take away from the actual production of his art. Instead, Ibarrola would much prefer to work in a continuous flow, not thinking about noting down when or how something was made. This also allows the artist to go back into his work over long periods of time since they are never officially finished if they remain in the studio. This freedom lets the artist completely focus on the why and what the art represents relative to the Basque region and its lore, while his personal history and connections to the area can also guide his hand.

 (left to right) Untitled, oil on brown paper, 6 x 10 ½ inches; Untitled, oil on canvas, 69 ¾ x 68 ½ inches; Untitled, natural stone, enamel, 29 x 8 x 11 inches

In the large paintings, there is a slightly different dynamism. Here, color is a much stronger element in the narrative. Here we see brilliant fields of larger monochromatic hues that are sometimes tamed by interlocking forms, or floating in space like a powerful illusion. The smaller paintings have more of a tendency toward a type of ritualistic rhythm, something that suggests more of a back and forth between artist and  nature. This could also be due to the intimacy of the sizes as opposed to the large paintings, affording the artist to be more playful in his projected ideas and emotions.

 Untitled, natural stone and enamel, 29 x 8 x 11 inches

In addition to working with railroad ties, canvas and paper, the artist also employs rocks and thin tree limbs as a painting surface to be either gathered into a cluster or paired with other similar objects. This adds to the mystical aspect referenced earlier, while also showing a more diverse understanding of materials, scale, texture and juxtaposition. In the end, this abundant use of natural elements throughout the exhibition is what truly ties the artist to the earth and his heritage. The artist and the personage of Agustín Ibarrola is defined by his passions, and his favorite two are the natural environment and the heritage of his beloved Basque region. WM