"Mi dia de Mantequilla"

Efrain Vidal introduces us a set of large and medium-sized oil paintings showing the artist's remarkable innate abilities with respect to the way in which he handles colour and space. These abilities became evident several years before finishing his studies at the Faculty of Arts.

Vidal's case is unusual since it reveals a precocious and uncommon maturity, and shows a consistent and independent proposal. The natural flow of images and colours makes us feel the artist's talent is natural and it has been with him forever.

Efrain's paintings reveal the hidden aspects of human behaviour. His work makes evident the real motive of personal and interpersonal relationships and actions. It is as if it were a psychological scrutiny in which the painting starts to form part of life itself, accompanying and making one's existence easier. This is done in order to make life understandable and not in order to express, reflect or interpret it. Once we understand the real motive, or what is hidden behind the external manifestation of the events, part of the world's absurdity and irrationality can be figured out, and there is a catharsis and emotional cleansing that reduces and soothes internal conflicts.

Vidal seems to present life as a game played by adults usually looking like children or that have some child-like attributes. Vidal shows us characters, situations, and daily family and social life experiences. As usual, the artist has also created a set of paintings of indoor settings with no characters but where objects with intense human traits appear.

The absurd and contradictory are often present in the scene or theme of painting. This is expressed by his funny or bizarre characters, by the lack of harmony found in their behaviour, or simply because the individual appears holding, roughly, but naturally, the motive (or its representation) for his actions. All of this is always accompanied by refined sense of humour.

These contradictions has no harsh, nor are they confusing or oppressing, on the contrary, after careful observation, it is clear that the paradox contained in the paintings soothes and calm

The paintings with indoor settings show objects indicating a state of mind. Sometime the objects allude to muffled dreams or goals, and also reflect the intention of their owner or users.

In these paintings human beings are also sensed or perceived thanks to the trace left as a result of their actions or lack of action (the arrangement of furniture in the rooms, objects left on or under the table or bed, etc).

Colour plays an important role in the treatment and transfer of the sensitive nature of the scene. Hope dreams, longings and desires, reinforced by a tender, intimate colour, are some of the expressions of his inner being that can be found in the artist's work. Although Vidal uses strong, bright and vivid colours these are not wounding. The way he handles perspective, placing and construction of space, so characteristic of his work, instil in us an existential, internal, emotional, deep and intimate feeling.

Efrain Vidal's work presents a very personal, mature and sharp creation in terms of the weight of life's experience revealed in it and it reminds us of the existentialist view of art by which art consist of placing truth in art pieces.

Roberto Asconiga
Director Galeria Praxis
Lima