ALBERTO ORTEGA •   RALEIGH, NC

While his work is rooted in dense Spanish naturalism and its characteristic color palette, Alberto Ortega has taken American suburban life as subject matter for his oil paintings since moving to the United States in 2008. The technique and usage of materials in his work borrow from European Baroque paintings, while the narrative themes are born of literary and visual representations of American culture found in the works of artists and writers such as Raymond Carver, Richard Ford and Edward Hopper.

Alberto Ortega (Sevilla, 1976) earned his MFA in Sevilla, Spain, and works in Raleigh, North Carolina. He exhibits in Spain and the U.S. and has received grants and awards in both countries.

“In my present body of work, I seek to provide an opportunity for the viewer to experience a feeling of connectedness with ordinary suburban life, which is a construct of the human race and an extension of our natural selves into our surroundings. I’d like to give the sense that one is not alone, but part of a group with similar needs, longings, hopes, dreams, fears and desires that transcend time.

I believe that any motif, when represented with a specific handling of the materials, should resonate emotionally and evoke something from the sensitive viewer. My intention is to use the medium less in the service of the illusion or representation than the reaffirmation of the pictorial surface: to establish a direct communication between technique and theme.”

< Back

Associated News

"Crafty Concepts"
July 12, 2019
More >

Associated Exhibitions

Alberto Ortega: Cul-de-Sac
SMALL FORMAT GALLERY
July 3 - August 28, 2020
More >