ANTONIO SANTOS | HOUSE AND FIELD (THE FARMER) (36/50) | ORIGINAL ETCHING | CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART

ANTONIO SANTOS | HOUSE AND FIELD (THE FARMER) (36/50) | ORIGINAL ETCHING | CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING

A superb intaglio print by the National Illustration Award winner that pays homage to the land through "cultivated primitivism" and the highest artisanal craftsmanship.

HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS

Rural Lyricism and the Framed Landscape

Antonio Santos (Luesia, 1955) is a master at distilling reality to an almost mystical purity. In this original etching, the artist offers us a scene with deep Iberian roots: a farmhouse integrated into a landscape of cultivated fields.

The composition is a display of spatial intelligence. Santos uses the dark trunks of two large trees in the foreground to frame the scene, forcing the viewer to visually enter the landscape until discovering the solitary figure of a farmer with a hat and tool in hand. This character provides human scale and a narrative of absolute belonging to the territory. In addition, a subtle flight of leaves or seeds carried by the wind diagonally crosses the print, breaking the static nature of the architecture and imbuing the scene with an autumnal melancholy.

Intaglio Virtuosity and Handmade Paper

Unlike his well-known linocuts, here Santos exploits the tactile possibilities of engraving on metal. The artist builds the density of the foliage and the furrows of the earth through meticulous cross-hatching.

The true material triumph of this edition is the dialogue between the ink and its support. The work is printed on superb, heavy handmade cotton paper (vat paper), which exhibits deeply organic, natural deckled edges around its entire perimeter. The pressure of the press has left a clearly sunken "plate mark" in the cellulose, certifying the nobility and physicality of the traditional printing process.

WHY IS THIS PIECE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?

• Strictly Limited Edition (36/50): Annotated in pencil in the lower left margin, the numbering 36/50 guarantees that this is a very short edition, ensuring real scarcity in the secondary market and high interest for print cabinets.

Contemporary Institutional Signature: Antonio Santos is a reference figure in current Spanish visual arts. Acquiring his intaglio prints means incorporating into the collection the work of a National Award winner with a firmly consolidated body of work.

• Tactile and Museum Quality: The combination of the fine etching incision with the reserved light (the white of the paper) and the thick, irregular edges of the cotton support transforms this print into a sculptural object that demands unhurried contemplation.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Artist: Antonio Santos (Luesia, Zaragoza, b. 1955).

• Title / Theme: House and field / The farmer (Contemporary rural landscape).

• Technique and Support: Original etching (intaglio) printed on heavy handmade cotton paper (vat paper) with deckled edges.

• Documented Dimensions: Full support: Approx. 36 x 26.5 cm / Plate mark (Image area): Approx. 15 x 12 cm.

• Edition and Inscriptions: Number 36/50, signed in pencil "ANTONIO SANTOS" in the lower right margin.

• Style / Movement: New Spanish graphic art / "Cultivated primitivism".

• Provenance: Private collection / Gallery stock.

• Condition: Excellent archival quality. The thick cotton support is intact and clean, maintaining the maximum visual purity of the intaglio contrast.

THE WORKSHOP NOTE

In contrast to the immediacy of contemporary art, this etching is an ode to slowness. Santos offers us a window into a rural world where time seems to have stood still between the line of the metal and the weight of the paper. An exquisite graphic gem, essential for those who value the nobility of centuries-old techniques.

Includes Collector's Dossier: This artwork comes with a research study, prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our curation and known provenance.