Finding someone who is professionally dedicated to sacred art is a complex task. That this person has worked for The Vatican, China, the United States or Italy shows that he is not just anyone. And discover that it is Malaga He adds a certain pride to the abundant emotions that his painting itself conveys.
Graduated in Art History from the University of Malaga, Raúl Berzosa has managed to carry out a work of evangelism all over the world from his painting studio.
Raúl Berzosa with ‘The Archangel Saint Michael’ and ‘Immaculate Miraculous Virgin’, from the Beijing CathedralRaul Berzosa
–How did sacred art appear in your life?
–In 2000 I made my first public painting, it was the poster for the processional departure of the Rocío brotherhood in Málaga. These first brotherhood works served to give an outlet to that need to make sacred art, but little by little they drifted: I no longer copied the images of the brotherhoods, but I created my own figures. Nowadays, sacred art occupies by far the largest part of my pictorial production.
–The large size of his works is also striking.
–I make works of all sizes, although it is true that I like large projects with large format canvases. It can look bigger and usually fit better in churches than a small work. The process prior to the execution of a large-format work is the same as that of a small one, but the impression when seeing the final result is more striking on a four-meter-high canvas than another 65 centimeters. My largest work is not precisely a canvas, but is painted on a ceiling, the Oratory of Santa María Reina in Malaga, a work of almost 140 square meters, full of figures where the Coronation of the Virgin Mary is represented. It took me 9 months to make this painting.
–How is it that the Vatican contacted you? And China?
–It is a huge satisfaction every time the Vatican takes into account my paintings, from the scripts of the Holy Father’s ceremonies, to carrying out a commission to illustrate a seal or portraits of some prefects. At first I thought it would be something specific, but it has dragged on over time.
As a Catholic artist, it can be said that it is a double blessing to receive a commission from the Vatican, on the one hand the artistic background and on the other the religious background. Looking for a painter from Malaga to make paintings for Churches in the United States, Guatemala, Colombia, Portugal, Italy, the Vatican itself or now China, is a great responsibility, but it is very happy to know that the work one does can serve to evangelize. .
For the China project, they contacted me to request making new canvases for the South Cathedral in Beijing, a building that is being restored, a very striking project for me and very exciting. Furthermore, they are large-format canvases, a type of work that I really enjoy and in which I have specialized as I mentioned previously.
Raúl Berzosa painting the ceiling of the Santa María Reina oratory, in Málaga– Raul Berzosa
–What is the process you carry out when you are commissioned for a painting?
–If it is a sacred work, the first thing is to inform me. Right now with the Beijing project I must see the previous iconography of what I have to do, study the measurements, the space, why one thing or another appears… That is, get an idea of what I have to represent and once Once this first step has been taken, it is time to take the pencils to make the sketch. Normally there is also a photo process that helps me make the previous drawings. When I have the finished sketch I show it to the client so they can see what I am going to paint. In this sense, I can say that the clients’ trust in me is absolute when it comes to creating the work.
From here I move on to oil, transferring the sketch, the idea to the canvas, which depending on the difficulty of the work can take more or less weeks. I like to start with the cool part, if it’s a portrait I go directly to the face. Once the work is finished, and leaving a reasonable amount of time, I always varnish it. In most cases you have to send the work. If it is a very large format, which is usually the case, the canvases are rolled inside boxes.
–Do you keep in mind that your work can lead others to encounter God?
–Within sacred art I always look for the painting to transmit my beliefs as a Catholic to the viewer of the work, for there to be an interaction, for the work to be useful, that is, not only to see a beautiful work or a painting that may be cold, but May that beauty, as Pope Benedict XVI said, be a path to finding God.
On many occasions, paintings can serve priests as “tools” for homilies or prayers. On numerous occasions people from many parts of the world write to me to thank me for carrying out the works, which often touch the heart.
–Has your work helped you in your faith, or vice versa?
–My studio is located near the church of San Antonio María Claret here in Malaga. It is the church of my childhood, whenever I walk I take a moment to greet the Lord in the tabernacle and give thanks for the new day. In my studio I have a reproduction of the Holy Shroud, it is my place of prayer there, it always accompanies me, the same happens in my house.
I was raised in a Catholic family and my education has been linked to the Marist Brothers. I believe that my work has helped me grow in my faith and vice versa, my faith has made the paintings improve, the process has been reciprocal.
–What has having the Holy Shroud brought you?
–The Shroud of Turin has always accompanied me, since I was little I have seen a large photo of the Holy Shroud in my parents’ house, they have instilled in me that there is the authentic face of Christ.
Later I have had reproductions in my studio, in my house and in my portfolio… In my workshop it is present next to my canvases, everything is presided over by a photo of the Shroud of Turin, hanging in the center of the wall. It is my place of gratitude and prayer in the workshop, I always go to the Shroud.
Raúl Berzosa with his work ‘It was true, the Lord has risen’Raul Berzosa
–Do you think realistic painting is necessary in sacred art?
–I don’t think it’s mandatory. We see or hear many elements that we place within sacred art, such as architecture or music, the light that enters through stained glass windows or certain mosaics that are not figurative, we relate them to sacred art and they elevate our soul. In my case I do use realistic painting because it is what fulfills me and that is how I feel.
–Lastly, what painting have you enjoyed making the most?
–Each work has its charm, for example, my latest work was the third of the China project, the archangel Saint Michael, I quite enjoyed making this painting because of the strength I was looking for in it, it is a powerful work.
One of the projects that I have enjoyed the most in recent years has been that of the Jesuits of Tampa (Florida, United States), where I worked together with the great architect Duncan Stroik, or currently with the famous architect Jorge L. Hernández in Miami , for me it has been a real honor.
The set of the oratory of Santa María Reina here in Malaga or the commission that the Holy See gave me for the 80th birthday of Pope Francis, a work that was used to be issued on stamps, are very exciting and I enjoy working and seeing the final result.
