Mari Puri Herrero

Mari Puri Herrero - Untitled

Artist Biography: Mari Puri Herrero is a contemporary artist born in Bilbao in 1942. She began her training in the workshop of Ascensio Martiarena in Donostia, and later moved to Madrid to study drawing and painting at the Círculo de Bellas Artes and the Prado Museum. During his stay in the Spanish capital, he began working with techniques from Print such as linoleum and etching.In 1966, he received a scholarship from the Diputación de Bizkaia and the Dutch Government, which allowed him to continue his studies in Amsterdam. At the Rijsmuseum she had the opportunity to see first hand the work of great engravers such as Rembrandt, who had a great influence on her work.Between 1969 and 1971, Mari Puri Herrero settled in Paris, where she became familiar with the figurative current that would be reflected in her work from a symbolist perspective. Upon her return to Bilbao, she began an intense exhibition activity both at the national and European level, which made her one of the most prominent figures of Basque artistic culture. In 1978, she created Marijaia, the emblematic figure of Bilbao's Aste Nagusia.Mari Puri Herrero's work is characterized by the exploration of social and political themes, such as war, violence and discrimination. Her style combines figurative and abstract elements, and her technique at Print is characterized by the use of strong and thick lines, which give her works a great visual impact. Her commitment to Basque culture and its roots is reflected in the inclusion of elements of mythology and popular tradition in her work.Mari Puri Herrero has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career, and her work can be found in important art collections in Spain and abroad.

 

This work is part of the most recent production of this veteran Basque artist and immerses us in a world where pigment, nature and the enigmatic are the protagonists. Thanks to her great technical mastery, the artist manages to elevate the paper support to the category of the most refined painting, thus converting drawing and painting into one and the same thing. This work, as usual, is characterized by constant references to nature, landscape and the human figure. Papers that collect images of everyday life and that coexist with the disparity of dreams; references that border on abstraction and are wrapped in a halo of mystery and silence.