Unveiling the secrets of the precious work by the multiple-award-winning artist Ricardo Sanz
Unveiling the secrets of the precious work by the multiple-award-winning artist Ricardo Sanz
Born in San Sebastián, Ricardo Sanz started to train as a painter at the age of fourteen under the master José Camps. There was already an artistic vein in his family because of his grandfather, who had a close relationship with painters like Sorolla, Zuloaga, and Vázquez Díaz, among others, as the owner of the La Perfecta Art Gallery in the San Sebastián of the early twentieth century. That family atmosphere so near to art was what motivated Ricardo to begin his career in the world of painting in the seventies.
Sanz obtained a degree in History from the University of Deusto. He subsequently went to Madrid, where he continued training in art history and figurative painting, only to later spend a time in Italy and in Paris. Through observation of the pieces in the great galleries, and thanks to years of learning under exceptional teachers, he mastered color and the language of light.
Van Dyck, Rembrandt, the paintings of the nineteenth century, as well as the Spanish School have been sources of inspiration for him; but also the portrait painters Macarrón, Torrents Lladó, Antonio López, and Revello de Toro, all of whom he has personally met and who have helped him to enrich his artistic spirit and knowledge of figurative painting to the maximum possible extent. His work has gradually matured, replacing his initial range of soft colors and grays inspired by the Basque and French Impressionists with a stronger and more colorful pallet.
He has lived mainly in Madrid since 1981, although he continues traveling frequently to San Sebastián. These two cities are recurrent in his landscapes; at times he even plays by alternating their characteristics, showing Madrid under the rain, the Gran Vía without cars, and San Sebastián bathed by the sun – oneiric licenses of an artist who has always painted whatever he wanted.
The clocks of La Concha, the sun tents at the Ondarreta Beach, the María Cristina Bridge, the hydrangeas at Ulía, the lights of the Kursaal Bridge… Ricardo’s choice of motifs create timeless atmospheres which highlight the personality of the spaces; landscapes that could be from yesteryear, today, or tomorrow.
In addition to the urban scenes portrayed with a certain air of nostalgia, the human figure has great relevance in his work. Female nudes, flamenco dancers, women wearing traditional Basque dress, and even the Immaculate Conception and Jesus of Nazareth himself during the Last Supper have been themes brought to the canvas by this artist who, like Velázquez, uses synthesis as a basis for his paintings.
Ricardo’s current work has a modern, refreshing feel to it. These are exquisite compositions with a refined technique and in which the effects of light are masterfully brought out. His view of the model from a stance of respect and elegance, placing the human figure at the center of his art, has made him one of the greatest portraitists of current times. Personalities from royalty, the aristocracy, politics, and culture all demand his work, attracted by the elegance of his brushstrokes. His talent has even led him to become the first official portrait painter for the Prince and Princess of Asturias. Queen Sofía, King Felipe VI, as well as Leonor de Borbón, the Ex-President of Congress, Jesús Posada, and the Ex-President of the Basque Parliament, Arantza Quiroga –among others– have posed before his precious gaze.
Ricardo Sanz has been honored with the National Award for Living Culture, the Goya Foundation Award, and the Paul Harris Fellow Medallion, given by the Rotary International Foundation. These distinctions are all more than deserved by an artist who makes painstaking efforts with each painting’s creative process – a process from which he always comes out victorious.
Ricardo Sanz
Tel.: +34 915 470 287
