ANTONIO SANTOS | VILAFRANCA (1975) | ORIGINAL LINOCUT (15/25) | CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART

ANTONIO SANTOS | VILAFRANCA (1975) | ORIGINAL LINOCUT (15/25) | CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART

Urban view in original linocut by Antonio Santos, National Illustration Award winner. Early graphic work dated 1975, characterized by architectural synthesis and published in a strict edition of 25 copies.

CURATORIAL AND AESTHETIC ANALYSIS

The work presents an urban perspective structured from within a building, using the side jambs and the dark lintel of a window or balcony as a compositional frame. Through this opening, the artist depicts an architectural landscape composed of overlapping rooftops in the foreground and the spire of a bell tower in the mid-ground.

Technically, Antonio Santos uses linocut to maximize the visual contrast between the white of the paper support and the dense areas of black ink. The geometric and direct carving on the matrix simplifies the architectural forms, eliminating ornamental details. In the blank lower margin, the print includes the numbering "15/25" on the far left and the signature, title, and date "Antonio Santos / Vilafranca - 1975" on the right, annotations executed by hand in blue ink.

COLLECTOR'S INTEREST AND MARKET

• Chronological Relevance: The autograph date of 1975 places this print within the artist's initial production. Santos's early graphic works are scarce in the secondary market and allow for documentation of the technical evolution of a currently established institutional name.

• Restricted Edition (15/25): The limitation of the series to only 25 physical copies grants the piece the level of rarity required by specialized collecting, ensuring a very low circulation of copies.

• Graphic Solidity: The absence of color in the printing and the geometric structure facilitate the inclusion of this work in graphic collections focused on expressionist figuration and Iberian printmaking of the Transition period.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

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

• Title / Subject: Vilafranca / Architectural view from an interior.

• Year of Creation: 1975.

• Technique and Medium: Original linocut (relief print) stamped on heavy-weight drawing paper.

• Documented Dimensions: 36.5 x 26.5 cm (Vertical format).

• Edition and Inscriptions: Copy number 15/25, signed, localized, and dated by hand in blue ink in the lower margin.

• Style / Movement: New Spanish Graphic Art / Architectural Expressionism.

• Provenance: Private collection / Gallery stock.

• Condition: Excellent archival condition.

Includes Collector's Dossier: This work is delivered with a research study of the artwork, prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our research and known provenance.