La Poesia de Willy Ramos

November 18 - December 31, 2010

Odon Wagner Contemporary presents La Posie de Willy Ramos a special collection of 12 paintings and drawings by Spanish contemporary master Willy Ramos. These oil paintings, works on paper and a selection opf printwork is available for purchase.  Please contact the gallery for information.

This introduction by Odon Wagner was published in the exhibition catalogue.

"Willy Ramos paints an expression of nature, an idea rather than a literal depiction of the flowers, landscape, or figures before him. Though representational in subject matter, Ramos' paintings function as abstract rhythms of light and colour, organized in harmonious compositions that are both balanced and energized. His expressionistic brushstrokes create active surfaces recalling the paintings of such twentieth-century masters as Albert Marquet, Raoul Dufy, and Henri Matisse. Willy's forms are reductive and simplified, his colours exuberant, not unlike the Fauve painters who left a potent impression in their brief years of activity around 1904.

Since our inaugural exhibition in 2005, Ramos' work has been featured in 14 solo exhibitions in five countries, not to mention the many more group shows. Presently, Willy enjoys acclaim for the traveling retrospective titled "Un Mundo Luminoso", which was launched this year at the Museo de la Ciudad in Valencia and continues to be shown throughout Spain. Elisabeth and I were fortunate to be present at the recent vernissage of this show in Madrid. A few days later, we visited Willy finding ourselves once more in the familiar spaces of his grand Valencia studio to choose works for this Toronto exhibition. We felt privileged to select the artist's paintings directly from his creative realm.

Willy presented us his work starting with a multitude of sketches, followed by works on paper and watercolours. Finally we were presented with his new oil paintings imbued with bold contrasts and rich tonalities that enliven his nudes, flowers, and landscapes. Willy gives life even to the inanimate, roughly hewn blocks of wood, which he carves and paints, resulting in graceful and poised visions of women. One of the six sculptures chosen by us represents his wife Pepa and is illustrated in the back cover of this catalogue. In the presence of Pepa and Willy our curatorial discussion and selection process count as the finest moments of our profession. We hope that our memorable experience is reflected in this exhibition."