Meet Rubén Rodrigo

Rubén Rodrigo (Salamanca, Spain, 1980) is one of the newest artists to join our gallery. Based in Madrid, his work meditates on purity, luminosity, and emptiness, balancing spontaneity and control. In this interview, he shares insights into his artistic journey, creative process, and inspirations, offering a deeper understanding of his practice.

AG: Could you tell us about your journey as an artist? What led you to pursue painting as your medium?

RR: My journey has been relatively straightforward. From the beginning, I was certain I wanted to pursue art. I studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Salamanca, and after finishing my degree and obtaining a couple of grants for young artists, I moved to Madrid. For years, I had to combine my artistic practice with side jobs until I was able to paint full-time. I believe that the ups and downs, along with the detours and pauses, only strengthened my resolve to pursue art. The focus became more and more intense when it came to deciding the steps I had to take at each moment. Painting has always been my primary medium and also my passion as a spectator and an admirer of art history, even when I couldn’t enjoy it as a painter.

AG: Improvisation and controlled chance play a key role in your work. How do you balance spontaneity with intentionality in your process?

RR: Spontaneity serves as a pathway to intentionality, which often begins as a vague idea about a specific chromatic or lighting situation. Because this idea is usually loosely defined and rooted more in intuition or memory than in a concrete plan, the process remains open to unexpected discoveries and surprises.

AG: Your exploration of monochromatic fields seeks «maximum purity.» What does purity mean to you in the context of art and color?

RR: In this context, purity has more to do with luminosity. Conversely, chromatics are deliberately ‘contaminated’ to achieve that specific light we were talking about earlier, which for me has a lot to do with the landscape tradition in painting.

AG: You reference the Sumi-e technique as a key inspiration in your work. What draws you to this method, and how have you adapted it to your practice?

RR: I am deeply drawn to the concept of emptiness in painting, the absence of ego in Zen painting or the Chinese painting tradition, which clashes directly with Western art history, our expansive lifestyles, and the way we understand art, artistic careers, and the art market.

For me, this technique has been fundamental to get rid of the gesture and everything related to it. I believe the absence of gesture reveals what I see as the ‘bonfire of vanities’.

AG: Artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis have influenced your approach. How do you see your work continuing or diverging from their traditions?

RR: As a European painter, my fascination with classical painting leads me to adopt certain technical aspects of American painters as tools for exploration, rather than as ends in themselves. For me, the liquidity in Helen Frankenthaler’s work holds as much significance as the intricate iconography of costumes in Baroque painting.

Join us from January 17th to January 30th, at Barcelona Turó space to experience his works in person.