Untitled 1969

This untitled work was created with paint by Soledad Sevilla, though its date is unknown. Sevilla is a contemporary Spanish artist, and you might reasonably view this image in relation to the artistic institutions and social conditions of Spain in the late twentieth century. The visual codes of the image are simple; blocks of colour in a regular pattern. The simple blocky shapes and limited colour scheme evoke a kind of textile or tiling, although the execution is rougher than any industrial product. How does this repetition and slightly imperfect symmetry create meaning? We might consider how the social and political forces in Spain after the Franco dictatorship shaped Seville's artistic production, and how the country negotiated a path between the old and the new. It may be useful to research the artist’s statements or examine the critical literature around her work, to understand the role of this painting in questioning the social structures of its time.