The Madrid painter Alberto Rodríguez Serrano, 35, was scolded by his teachers at school because they believed he copied their drawings; In fact, he copied them. That artistic virtue was born with him, but he was not aware of wanting to dedicate himself to it. It was a “natural” process to which a lot of “effort” was dedicated. “I have sacrificed many things to have the technique I have now,” says Rodríguez in his studio, sitting in a paint-stained desk chair. He is a “lover” of animals and especially of the bull – to whom he dedicates many of his paintings – which is why he is excited about the setting of his next exhibition. From this Saturday, April 27 until May 12, his “Ars Gratia Artis” can be seen in the Antoñete room in the Las Ventas bullring. The exhibition, which is free, is organized by the Community of Madrid and the Bullfighting Affairs Center of Madrid. With it, Rodríguez hopes to “make known his work,” such as his great luminescence technique in some of his paintings, which he uses to “tell stories.” This requires the theatrical representation of him, which the painter will perform on April 28 and May 1, 2, 5, 10, 11 and 12 at 12:30.
“Ars Gratia Artis” is a continuation of his work: all his exhibitions are titled the same, the only thing that changes is the setting and the date. In April 2023 he presented his exhibition at the Casa de Vacas cultural center, in El Retiro park. There, she unveiled his luminescence technique. “I liked that part a lot,” says Rodríguez. «I didn’t know it was going to be so successful. “There were tens of thousands of people.” The painter wanted to “take advantage” of that “impulse” so that people discover his work, which is “what every artist wants.” Today it can be said that Casa de Vacas was the prelude to Las Ventas.
The exhibition in the Antoñete room will be similar, but changing the focus: now the majority of the works on display will be those that represent bulls, around 60%. «I am a lover of painting animals. And I feel very identified with the bull, perhaps because it is from my land, from here, from Spain. I love the bull: it is very powerful and I see it as a very noble animal,” explains Rodríguez. In addition, it is “easier to work than, for example, horses.” Rodríguez usually “paints them with his hands”: “I get directly into the animal: there is no intermediary with the brush, although sometimes I use the spatula.” He admits not being an expert in bullfighting. «In that sense, I am ignorant. I know little about that world. To paint them I had to watch them on television. The truth is that they are the greatest bull lovers I have ever met. However, he considers that the collaboration with the Center for Bullfighting Affairs, which was interested in Rodríguez’s paintings of the animal, is “perfect”: “I think I can provide a quality artistic work that reflects what the animal, the bull, is. in its maximum beauty, in its power, in its freedom. And above all, in the environment that is Las Ventas, the international center of the bullfighting world.
The remaining percentage of works contain other representations related to flamenco and a series of dances – such as tango. And, then, the main course: its luminescence technique. Once seen, it is possible to think that perhaps this art thing is just an excuse to do what you really like: «I paint to tell stories, not to sell, although obviously I need this to maintain all this, but it is not the end. major”. The Madrid native believes that “art is communication.” «There may be works that do not communicate anything and that are art, but it is another thing to dedicate your entire life to not communicating anything. The usefulness of art, if we can say it that way, is to tell something that is difficult to tell in words.
And for Rodríguez, art “fell short” for that company. «The traditional technique fell short for me. I paint a picture and it is very good, but it is somewhat static. And of course, your life is not still, your life is a constant movement of becoming. I needed to break the traditional barrier to be able to tell more. And this technique allows me to do that: it allows me to tell present, past, future, dreams, losses. In the end, “it is not a painting, it is an experience.”
He also does it with an unusual technique. «I don’t know anyone who has developed it like this. Luminescence has indeed existed, in the 60s, but not like this. However, it would be very brave of me to say that of the 8 billion people in the world there are no other people who use it in this way.
The definition? A “novel technique of applying luminescence” that turns it into an “interactive experience.” The practice: the painter plays with lights, which reveal secrets contained in his paintings. Furthermore, these “stories” stored in his paintings are accompanied by music and “choreography.” «Music is basic and fundamental for my life and my work. If I am going to tell a story that has my tears, the music has to match. Rodríguez says that he works “so that people vibrate”, something that he achieves in his works made with this technique, which he also hopes is what “consecrates” him.
The word experience is the driving force of Rodríguez’s life. “Without experiences you can’t tell stories,” he says. Therefore, now it is a somewhat “hard” phase. He works all day in his studio, sometimes “16 or 18 hours.” «I am in a very low creative moment. But it’s not bad, it’s just what it has to be. When this process is over I will invest my time to generate those experiences. I’m going to Mallorca, to Nepal. “To travel and recover that creative phase.”
The body of an artist
Rodríguez paints many of his paintings with his hands. For him, his body is functional to his work and his passion. Therefore, the first thing he does when he gets up around 7:30 is go to the gym. «It is absolutely vital to be healthy. Order, I believe, is based on balance: on the right point between two extremes. If you have a body that doesn’t work, your mind won’t work. And if you have a mind that is a self-torturer, your body is going to decline,” explains Rodríguez, who confesses: “I don’t like sports, I don’t do it because I love it. I try to do 1 or 2 hours of exercise a day because it is good for me and because my body appreciates it. His experience made him change his mind: «I played futsal, but I quit. And at University I didn’t do much sport. “I realized that I had a very small body for so much stress and I had some anxiety problems and that’s why I realized the importance of good nutrition and exercising the body.”
