Eduardo Arroyo
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Arroyo is a Spanish
painter
and graphic artist
. He is also active as an author
and set designer
.
Arroyo, who was born in Madrid
, studied art in his home city, but left Spain in 1958 because of his basic contempt for the regime of Francisco Franco
(when Salvador Dali
came to terms with Franco in his old age, Arroyo later described him as a "whore") and even lost his Spanish citizenship in 1974 (which he got back two years later, a year after the death of the Caudillo). In Paris
, he befriended members of the young art scene, especially Gilles Aillaud
, with whom he later collaborated in creating stage sets, but also the old master, Joan Miró
. In 1964, he made his breakthrough with his first important exhibition. Over 20 years of great critical success and high esteem on the art market followed. Today, the ideologically and creatively uncompromising artist is as active as he ever was, even if it seems to have become somewhat quieter around his creations.
Stylistically, Arroyo's mostly ironic, colorful works are at the crossroads between the trends of nouvelle figuration or figuration narrative and pop art
. A characteristic of his representations is the general absence of spatial depth and the flattening of perspective.
Arroyo also became known to a broad public through his many works as a set designer, as well as partially by his costume design
s. In this relation, he has cooperated since 1969 especially with the director Klaus Michael Grüber, who has encouraged him in this activity. Arroyo has created sets for, among others, the Piccolo Teatro in Milan
, the Paris Opéra
(in 1976, Richard Wagner
's Die Walküre
), the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin
and the Salzburger Festspiele
(in 1991, Leoš Janáček
's Z mrtveho domu).
Arroyo's stage play, Bantam, premiered at the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel (Residenztheater) in Munich
with great success in 1986, with his friend, Grüber, as director and Ailland and Antonio Recalcati for sets and costumes.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and graphic artist
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
. He is also active as an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and set designer
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
.
Arroyo, who was born in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, studied art in his home city, but left Spain in 1958 because of his basic contempt for the regime of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
(when Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
came to terms with Franco in his old age, Arroyo later described him as a "whore") and even lost his Spanish citizenship in 1974 (which he got back two years later, a year after the death of the Caudillo). In Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he befriended members of the young art scene, especially Gilles Aillaud
Gilles Aillaud
Gilles Aillaud was an internationally-known French painter, set decorator, and playwright; as well, he was one of the main proponents of the Nouvelle Figuration and Figuration Narrative schools of art....
, with whom he later collaborated in creating stage sets, but also the old master, Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. In 1964, he made his breakthrough with his first important exhibition. Over 20 years of great critical success and high esteem on the art market followed. Today, the ideologically and creatively uncompromising artist is as active as he ever was, even if it seems to have become somewhat quieter around his creations.
Stylistically, Arroyo's mostly ironic, colorful works are at the crossroads between the trends of nouvelle figuration or figuration narrative and pop art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
. A characteristic of his representations is the general absence of spatial depth and the flattening of perspective.
Arroyo also became known to a broad public through his many works as a set designer, as well as partially by his costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
s. In this relation, he has cooperated since 1969 especially with the director Klaus Michael Grüber, who has encouraged him in this activity. Arroyo has created sets for, among others, the Piccolo Teatro in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, the Paris Opéra
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
(in 1976, Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
), the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and the Salzburger Festspiele
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer within the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
(in 1991, Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
's Z mrtveho domu).
Arroyo's stage play, Bantam, premiered at the Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel (Residenztheater) in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
with great success in 1986, with his friend, Grüber, as director and Ailland and Antonio Recalcati for sets and costumes.