Spanish painter and architect Olga Barrier distills the beauty of Mediterranean architecture into works of refined purity. The artist combines a vibrant, meaningridden palette with basic geometric forms, echoing the functional simplicity of the Bauhaus movement and the purified aesthetic of Minimalism. From direct observation she transforms complex structures into minimalist geometries, playing on contrasts of tones, materials, light, and shadows. Sevilla–where the artist lives–offers much inspiration, with the soft lines and curves of buildings, the patios, the vibrant blue of azulejos, and the city’s characteristic yellow sand called albero, which Barrier often incorporates into her paintings, together with pumice stone, concrete, plaster, and paper.
Far from being a mere technical exercise, her work carries the symbolic power of color, as used historically across the Mediterranean region. The bright turquoise blue found on the doors, rooftops, and windows of the Cyclades was believed to keep evil spirits away. The predominant white of Andalusia’s pueblos blancos had a unifying function under the Moorish dominion, while the green in Islamic architecture was associated with nature and paradise. Evocative and engaging, Barrier’s sculptural paintings transcend abstract functionality carrying messages of profound cultural and historical significance.
OLGA BARRIER ON
Albero #3, 2022
Acrylic
I am fascinated by the details, colors, and textures of Mediterranean architecture: the Sevillan patios and azulejos, the predominant white of small Andalusian villages, the run-down facades of old buildings. From direct observation, I transform complex structures into minimalist geometries, playing on contrasts of tones, materials, light, and shadows. Using foam boards as supports, I combine acrylic paint with pumice stone, concrete, plaster, paper, stiffening media, or albero, Sevilla’s traditional yellow sand. Following the chromatic and compositional principles of the Bauhaus and Russian Constructivism schools, my work distills the beauty of urban lines, curves, colors, and materials into works of refined purity.
ORIGINAL OLGA BARRIER ARTWORKS ON
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