Gaston Orellana
Encyclopedia
Gaston Orellana, is a Spanish
painter
. Orellana was born in Valparaiso
, Chile
in 1933, son of Spanish immigrant parents Armando de Orellana, an engineer, and Ernestina del Transito née Morgadon. Although born abroad, Orellana was born into the ancient aristocratic house of Orellana la Vieja
, from Extremadura
, Spain
. He has since lived in Spain
, Italy
, the US the UK and France
.
Orellana first studied Fine Art at the experimental Escuela Experimental de Educación Artistica Santiago
, Chile
. He then continued his studies at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Viña del Mar and perfectioned his skill with the violin at the Conservatorio de Música within the same school. In 1954, Orellana meets Pablo Neruda
, establishing an intense relationship that was to last until the death of the poet. This friendship was to greatly affect Orellana, to whom the poet dedicated the poem "Recibimiento" in 1966, praising "what lies in the work/ of Orellana/ is as alive/ as a life, as secure as/ an object, as mysterious/ as a stone." Orellana briefly studied at the Universidad de Chile reading Archaeology and Anthropology, studies that were followed by a journey of archaeological studies through Northern Chile
, Peru
, Bolivia
and Argentina
, led by Father Le Perc and the famous archaeologist Antonio Diez de Medina. Following this intense period of studies in archaeology, which were to greatly affect his work to this day, Orellana moved to Spain, first in a brief spell in Majorca and then to settle in Madrid, where he became a founding member of the Grupo Hondo in 1959.
In his earliest works, Orellana shows some of the signs that were to become the Neo-figuration, with expressive and yet undefined figures. Orellana's works from this period are distinguished for their almost monochromatic nature, where most figures appear in black and grayscale, to the point that, even though there is a predominant use of oxides and sand, they had an almost watercoulour appearance. On 8 December 1959, the Grupo Hondo proclaims its Neo-figurative
theoric principles in a manifesto written by the poet Manuel Conde
, of which Orellana is a founding member. In this period, Orellana reaches maturity as an artist, and his paintings reach the confluence of informal abstraction and the mannerism of an existential figuration that would seem even mystical in its representation. In this period, Orellana's work is enriched in terms of colour and texture, developing his artistic expression in a most definite manner.
In 1964, Orellana participates in the opening exhibition of the Juana Mordó Gallery, in Madrid
, Spain
, with whom he was to establish a longlasting business relationship. In the following year, he moves to New York, even though he continued to travel extensively to Spain
, Italy
, Switzerland
and the UK. New York proved to be a melting pot of artistic creation that greatly encouraged the artist through its lively artistic scene. Friendships such as the Duke of Bedford's drew him into the creative circles, where he met James Johnson Sweeney
, with whom he established a powerful friendship; Bob Dylan
, Arthur Miller
, whom he met at the showing of the film Good Times Wonderful Times, at the congress of the Pen & Pencil Club
; the dearler Martha Jackson; Allen Ginsberg
; Leon Golub
, Lawrence Alloway
. In 1966 he started a thriving business relationship with the New York dealer Martha Jackson who introduced him to the movement that was to result in the historic exhibition at the MOMA "The New Image of Man". In 1969, with the poet Allen Ginsberg
and other artists, he participates in numerous protests against the Vietnam war
. In the same year Orellana was assaulted in his studio in Chinatown by a band of Chile
an criminals and drug addcts, which almost resulted in his losing his life. In 1967 he exhibits at the Bienville Gallery, in New Orleans, for the first time. In this period, Orellana participated in several academic pursuits: lecturing at The State University of New Jersey; particicipating as a member of the Art Coalition; and publishing several antibelligerant articles in New York's Village Voice and the magazine Ramparts
.
In 1970 he represents Spain
at the XXV Venice Biennale
. Among other works exhibited at the Spanish
pavilion is "Train in Flames", an enormous triptych that was the focus of an in-depth analysis by critics Luigi Carluccio and Elvira Cassa Salvi. Acting on the advice of James Johnson Sweeney
the famous business baron and patron of the arts Joseph Hirshhorn
bought this painting and with the remainder of the works shown at the Biennale. The monumental triptych became part of the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
from the day of its opening in 1974. In 1972 Orellana exhibits for the first time with the Turin-based dealer Christian Stein with whom he was to establish a long working relationship. On 3 August 1974, he married Isabel, née Calles, with whom he was to have two children. In 1975 the monograph volume "Orellana 1945-75" was presented at the Circulo Internacional de Prensa, Madrid, published by Heliodoro (Madrid). The book included essays by Jose M. Moreno Galvan, Enrico Crispolti, Charles Spencer, Paulino Posade and Vicente Aguilera Cerni. In 1979 he took a studio at the Hotel Chelsea
.
The paintings from this period are most remarkable for the vividness of the extreme violence and even the human denigration that is often depicted. Such representations are however, also rich in a lyrical content that was to characterise the artist from then on. The juxtaposition of the international tendencies that formed Orellana took a more definite form in this period: his old Spanish inheritance, the input from America, the wealth of archaeological culture and Italy with Conceptualism
and Arte Povera
. The artist had a solo show at the stand of Juana Mordo at the FIAC
1978, Paris
, France
. These amalgamated into a whole that paved the way for new developments in Orellana's work.
Orellana moved back to Europe in 1984, when he lived between his studio in Madrid
, Spain
, Albisola, Italy
. In 1985 he left the other studios, and moved to Riva del Garda
, Italy
, where he was to enjoy an incredibly prolific artistic period, and where he was regularly visited by critics such as Tommaso Trini and dealers as Herstand from New York and Marconi from Milan as well as eminent international politicians. Orellana and his family moved back to Spain in 1993, where they settled in Trujillo, Extremadura
, and then finally in 2000 to France, where he still lives and works.
In 1986 the Museo Español de Arte Contemporaneo hosted an exhibition of his works from 1970 to 1986. In 1991 he exhibited at the Spazio Ansaldo, Milan
, in an installation designed by Renzo Piano, and more spectacular was an exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum
, Taipei
, Taiwan
, which was widely commented upon by the critic Roberto Tassi. In 1995, an incredible exhibition was shown at the Casa Das Artes in Vigo Spain
, crucial from a critical point of view, as the critic Marco Ricardo Barnatán wrote in the exhibition catalogue, for its statement of Orellana's renewed aesthetic and realisation ideals and practice, a trait that indeed has marked the work of the artist ever since. Christian Stein, at the gates of the Spanish Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale, declared that "Orellana is the most interesting artist that Spain has created since Tapies and Miro". In 1998, his gallery, Christian Stein, showed his works in a solo pavilion at the ARCO
art fair in Madrid
. In a tribute to the power and human drama of Orellana's late 1960s works, a nightmarish 1967 piece was included in the major 2005 exhibition held in Turin titled "Il Male" that comprised works of leading artists from the quattrocento to the present. The curator, Teresa Sacchi Lodispoto, commented "In a nightmarish atmosphere reinforced by a palette of chromatic contrasts of Goya-like memory and in equilibrium between bright chromatism and restrained sobriety, it is impossible to understand what, in effect, is revealed before the eyes of the viewer".
The work of this period shows a marked evolution from the works of the New York years, with colossal ensemblages, graffito technique achieved by scraping the bare oil paint from the canvas, revealing the background, and the collage of various elements, especially metal and ancient mirrors. Exemplary of this initial transition is the series "Bronx Around", exhibited both in Milan
and Caceres
, Spain. Jole de Sanna presented the latest works of the artist in the volume "Gaston Orellana Orestea", where she writes that "The entire history of painting and the experience of art during the second half of the XXth Century do not escape being captured by Orellana". Although internationally renowned, there have been few opportunities to see paintings of Gaston Orellana in Britain recently.
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...
. Orellana was born in Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 1933, son of Spanish immigrant parents Armando de Orellana, an engineer, and Ernestina del Transito née Morgadon. Although born abroad, Orellana was born into the ancient aristocratic house of Orellana la Vieja
Orellana la Vieja
Orellana la Vieja is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 3033 inhabitants....
, from Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
, Spain
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...
. He has since lived in Spain
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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the US the UK and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Early career
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. He then continued his studies at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Viña del Mar and perfectioned his skill with the violin at the Conservatorio de Música within the same school. In 1954, Orellana meets Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
, establishing an intense relationship that was to last until the death of the poet. This friendship was to greatly affect Orellana, to whom the poet dedicated the poem "Recibimiento" in 1966, praising "what lies in the work/ of Orellana/ is as alive/ as a life, as secure as/ an object, as mysterious/ as a stone." Orellana briefly studied at the Universidad de Chile reading Archaeology and Anthropology, studies that were followed by a journey of archaeological studies through Northern Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, led by Father Le Perc and the famous archaeologist Antonio Diez de Medina. Following this intense period of studies in archaeology, which were to greatly affect his work to this day, Orellana moved to Spain, first in a brief spell in Majorca and then to settle in Madrid, where he became a founding member of the Grupo Hondo in 1959.
In his earliest works, Orellana shows some of the signs that were to become the Neo-figuration, with expressive and yet undefined figures. Orellana's works from this period are distinguished for their almost monochromatic nature, where most figures appear in black and grayscale, to the point that, even though there is a predominant use of oxides and sand, they had an almost watercoulour appearance. On 8 December 1959, the Grupo Hondo proclaims its Neo-figurative
Neo-figurative
Neo-figurative art describes an expressionist revival in modern form of figurative art. The term neo and figurative emerged in the 1960s in Mexico and Spain to represent a new form of figurative art.-Neo-figurative artists:...
theoric principles in a manifesto written by the poet Manuel Conde
Manuel Conde
Manuel Conde was born on October 15, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte . He was an actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name. His first film was "Mahiwagang Biyolin" in 1935. He made almost three dozen...
, of which Orellana is a founding member. In this period, Orellana reaches maturity as an artist, and his paintings reach the confluence of informal abstraction and the mannerism of an existential figuration that would seem even mystical in its representation. In this period, Orellana's work is enriched in terms of colour and texture, developing his artistic expression in a most definite manner.
New York years
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...
, Spain
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...
, with whom he was to establish a longlasting business relationship. In the following year, he moves to New York, even though he continued to travel extensively to Spain
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...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the UK. New York proved to be a melting pot of artistic creation that greatly encouraged the artist through its lively artistic scene. Friendships such as the Duke of Bedford's drew him into the creative circles, where he met James Johnson Sweeney
James Johnson Sweeney
James Johnson Sweeney was a curator, and writer about modern art. From 1935 to 1946, he was curator for the Museum of Modern Art. He was the second director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, from 1952 to 1960...
, with whom he established a powerful friendship; Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, whom he met at the showing of the film Good Times Wonderful Times, at the congress of the Pen & Pencil Club
Pen & Pencil Club
The Pen & Pencil Club is a private social club and association of journalists in Philadelphia. It is the oldest continuously operating press club in America, and the second oldest in the world....
; the dearler Martha Jackson; Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
; Leon Golub
Leon Golub
Leon Golub was an American painter. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he also studied, receiving his BA at the University of Chicago in 1942, his BFA and MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1949 and 1950, respectively.He was married to and collaborated with the artist Nancy Spero...
, Lawrence Alloway
Lawrence Alloway
Lawrence Alloway was an English art critic and curator who worked in the United States from the 1960s. In the 1950s he was a leading member of the Independent Group in the UK and in the 1960s was an influential writer and curator in the US...
. In 1966 he started a thriving business relationship with the New York dealer Martha Jackson who introduced him to the movement that was to result in the historic exhibition at the MOMA "The New Image of Man". In 1969, with the poet Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and other artists, he participates in numerous protests against the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. In the same year Orellana was assaulted in his studio in Chinatown by a band of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an criminals and drug addcts, which almost resulted in his losing his life. In 1967 he exhibits at the Bienville Gallery, in New Orleans, for the first time. In this period, Orellana participated in several academic pursuits: lecturing at The State University of New Jersey; particicipating as a member of the Art Coalition; and publishing several antibelligerant articles in New York's Village Voice and the magazine Ramparts
Ramparts (magazine)
Ramparts was an American political and literary magazine, published from 1962 through 1975.-History:Founded by Edward M. Keating as a Catholic literary quarterly, the magazine became closely associated with the New Left after executive editor Warren Hinckle hired Robert Scheer as managing editor...
.
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...
at the XXV Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
. Among other works exhibited at the Spanish
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...
pavilion is "Train in Flames", an enormous triptych that was the focus of an in-depth analysis by critics Luigi Carluccio and Elvira Cassa Salvi. Acting on the advice of James Johnson Sweeney
James Johnson Sweeney
James Johnson Sweeney was a curator, and writer about modern art. From 1935 to 1946, he was curator for the Museum of Modern Art. He was the second director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, from 1952 to 1960...
the famous business baron and patron of the arts Joseph Hirshhorn
Joseph Hirshhorn
]Joseph Herman Hirshhorn was an entrepreneur, financier and art collector. Born in Mitau, Latvia, the twelfth of thirteen children, Hirshhorn emigrated to the United States with his widowed mother at the age of six....
bought this painting and with the remainder of the works shown at the Biennale. The monumental triptych became part of the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
from the day of its opening in 1974. In 1972 Orellana exhibits for the first time with the Turin-based dealer Christian Stein with whom he was to establish a long working relationship. On 3 August 1974, he married Isabel, née Calles, with whom he was to have two children. In 1975 the monograph volume "Orellana 1945-75" was presented at the Circulo Internacional de Prensa, Madrid, published by Heliodoro (Madrid). The book included essays by Jose M. Moreno Galvan, Enrico Crispolti, Charles Spencer, Paulino Posade and Vicente Aguilera Cerni. In 1979 he took a studio at the Hotel Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
.
The paintings from this period are most remarkable for the vividness of the extreme violence and even the human denigration that is often depicted. Such representations are however, also rich in a lyrical content that was to characterise the artist from then on. The juxtaposition of the international tendencies that formed Orellana took a more definite form in this period: his old Spanish inheritance, the input from America, the wealth of archaeological culture and Italy with Conceptualism
Conceptualism
Conceptualism is a philosophical theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind. Intermediate between Nominalism and Realism, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical concept of universals from a perspective that denies...
and Arte Povera
Arte Povera
Arte Povera is a modern art movement. The term was introduced in Italy during the period of upheaval at the end of the 1960s, when artists were taking a radical stance. Artists began attacking the values of established institutions of government, industry, and culture, and even questioning whether...
. The artist had a solo show at the stand of Juana Mordo at the FIAC
Fiac
Fiac is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France....
1978, 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. These amalgamated into a whole that paved the way for new developments in Orellana's work.
Recent years
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...
, Spain
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...
, Albisola, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1985 he left the other studios, and moved to Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda
Riva del Garda is a town and comune in the northern Italian province of Trentino. It is also known simply as Riva. The estimated population is 15,151.- History :...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he was to enjoy an incredibly prolific artistic period, and where he was regularly visited by critics such as Tommaso Trini and dealers as Herstand from New York and Marconi from Milan as well as eminent international politicians. Orellana and his family moved back to Spain in 1993, where they settled in Trujillo, Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
, and then finally in 2000 to France, where he still lives and works.
In 1986 the Museo Español de Arte Contemporaneo hosted an exhibition of his works from 1970 to 1986. In 1991 he exhibited at the Spazio Ansaldo, 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 ,...
, in an installation designed by Renzo Piano, and more spectacular was an exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum is a museum in Taipei, Taiwan. The museum first opened on December 24, 1983 at the former site of the United States Taiwan Defense Command . It was the first purpose built museum in Taiwan to host modern and contemporary art exhibitions...
, Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, which was widely commented upon by the critic Roberto Tassi. In 1995, an incredible exhibition was shown at the Casa Das Artes in Vigo Spain
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...
, crucial from a critical point of view, as the critic Marco Ricardo Barnatán wrote in the exhibition catalogue, for its statement of Orellana's renewed aesthetic and realisation ideals and practice, a trait that indeed has marked the work of the artist ever since. Christian Stein, at the gates of the Spanish Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale, declared that "Orellana is the most interesting artist that Spain has created since Tapies and Miro". In 1998, his gallery, Christian Stein, showed his works in a solo pavilion at the ARCO
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
art fair 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...
. In a tribute to the power and human drama of Orellana's late 1960s works, a nightmarish 1967 piece was included in the major 2005 exhibition held in Turin titled "Il Male" that comprised works of leading artists from the quattrocento to the present. The curator, Teresa Sacchi Lodispoto, commented "In a nightmarish atmosphere reinforced by a palette of chromatic contrasts of Goya-like memory and in equilibrium between bright chromatism and restrained sobriety, it is impossible to understand what, in effect, is revealed before the eyes of the viewer".
The work of this period shows a marked evolution from the works of the New York years, with colossal ensemblages, graffito technique achieved by scraping the bare oil paint from the canvas, revealing the background, and the collage of various elements, especially metal and ancient mirrors. Exemplary of this initial transition is the series "Bronx Around", exhibited both 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 ,...
and Caceres
Cáceres, Spain
Cáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....
, Spain. Jole de Sanna presented the latest works of the artist in the volume "Gaston Orellana Orestea", where she writes that "The entire history of painting and the experience of art during the second half of the XXth Century do not escape being captured by Orellana". Although internationally renowned, there have been few opportunities to see paintings of Gaston Orellana in Britain recently.