Open 7 days a week
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? CALL OUR FRIENDLY SALES TEAM ON 01803 213000 | WE ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

What A Wonderful World

From: £300.00

Description

 What A Wonderful World Alberto Martinez

What A Wonderful World Alberto Martinez

Limited Edition Print

Available in two formats:

Giclee on Paper & Premium Canvas on Board

Paper image size: 805mm x 540mm

Canvas image size: 900mm x 600mm

Edition Size: 95

Available formats:

  • Paper print only
  • Canvas on board print only
  • Paper print mounted in a warm white double mount
  • Paper print framed in a black frame with warm white double mount
  • Canvas on board print framed in a black frame with white scoop slip.

For alternative framing options and prices, please call 01803 213000.

“When an artwork of mine takes about two months from start to finish, that piece is more than oil colours on a piece of fabric. There’s an intimacy built after weeks of just the two of us. Nights, days together. It witnesses all sort of happenstance going on with me and around me. Like a good friend, it talks back as well. It challenges me. Comforts me. Care for me…

I’m grateful to you for been my companion all this weeks, dear friend. It’s time for you to meet the world and make friends of your own. Hope to see you again in this life…”

Alberto Martinez (El Flaco)

What A Wonderful World

“Because there are a lot of big cities in the world, people who live in cities have become more isolated than ever.”

Alberto Martinez paints a city. It looks like London, it sounds like London, but it could be anywhere. All around are inanimate objects, disposable items, things that we see every day and yet we do not notice. As we look up, the concrete jungle sprawls out in front of us and becomes hazy. The lines blur. The details become insignificant.

‘What A Wonderful World’ is Martinez’s colourful and playful look at 21st century city life. In the foreground, structures have been substituted for objects that make statements. A floating USB stick on the river highlights our obsessions with data and technology. We see perfume, contraceptives and other expendable items. Alberto questions our reliance on modern medicines and has a playful dig at the pharmaceutical industry with the giant lipstick. Our own small area of the city is cluttered and so full of material positions that we are sometimes blinkered. The £10 note origami boat floating on the water is Alberto’s playful take on the stock market that rises and falls like the tide and with the poker chips, we can lose all our money in the roll of a dice!

Alberto comments on our efforts in recycling with the light bulb repurposed as a vase. He has placed a large nest in the centre of the painting which is his way of showing how wildlife has had to adapt to new environments. The nest has eggs but also a lot of man-made rubbish. Elsewhere there is a toy giraffe with its head in a bubble. This is Alberto’s nod to pollution. In the wild, giraffes breathe fresh, clean air, but in cities we need fresh air pumped in to survive.

The rubber duck floating down the Thames is Alberto’s whimsical reference to the NHS. The duck is following the path of the water, not in control of its own destiny and will inevitably end up somewhere else.

In true Martinez style, Cuban references mix seamlessly with the UK. His Cuban cigar stands proudly in the centre of the image. The giant cricket ball depicts the British love of cricket and the chess piece and dice illustrates both nations love of games.

The background of the image is littered with cinematic imagery: the Imperial Star Destroyer (Star Wars), The Sulaco (Alien) and the Tyrell Corporation Building (Blade Runner). Martinez mixes the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

From the ‘matches’ of Battersea Power Station to the ‘pencil’ of The Shard, Alberto–– Martinez has filled his city snapshot with many quirky images of how we are building our own destiny and should take every opportunity to reflect.

CLICK HERE to see a video – Alberto Martinez on what it means to be an artist

Back to Alberto’s portfolio.

Additional information

Weight 1 kg
Options

, , , ,

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “What A Wonderful World”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website: Find out more.