LLEI D'ART 13

CarmenMansilla Personal reality We are our ownworst judges. Autobiography is a complicatedprocess. Identity is dynamic and theperception of the ego is confused at best. Depicting it in an artistic, static image, in an instant that brings together everything a person is is adifficult task. The crudeportrait of the reality of a thought at a givenmoment is onlywithin reachof a talent that few attain. InCarmenMansilla’s recent workwe can see themastery of portraiture, and various prestigious international competitions have corroborated this. Both ingraffito and inpainting, the artist evokes her feelings, her life, her way of feeling in the face of the adversity thrown upby life’s surprises. Theprints left by suffering for thepain perceived are reflected in her latest work. The artist hides nothing and narrates her emotions nakedly. The figure of her ownbody and those around her confer evenmore realism. Shedisplays scars fromprevious battles, like aworldly warrior, using charcoal or apaintbrush as her weapon. Her education inhumanities, design and fine art canbe seen in everything shedoes. Even though the latter do underline her enthusiasm for a search for her ownpersonal language. Inpainting, her backgrounds are gloomy, sombre, dramatic. By contrast her graffiti is full of light, as if theywere open, empty spaces. Artistic contrasts that display emotional whirlwinds.When she talks of herself, everythingbecomes darker, with shades of grey andblack to emphasize her regret. However, when theperson she is painting is a girl or a youngwoman, everything lights up, shines and lives. Whenwe talk about her technique, there is are noother adjectives tobe used except those referring toperfection. The composition, the framing, the colour, and above all, skilful drawingdisplay theperfect learningprocess the artist has undergone throughout the years. There is nodoubt that we should follow there evolution, and I am sure that shewill be of evengreater interest in the future than she is now. 77 contemporay artists