Bartolomé Liarte — Metamorphosis of Desire (1980) — Watercolor and mixed media on paper

Two female figures embrace in the upper part of a composition in which their bodies seem to transform into abstract shapes. Their silhouettes extend into undulating bands of blue, green, violet and turquoise that descend to form a large, fantastic face.

Two eyes emerge between the coloured planes, while a broad bluish curve suggests a monumental mouth. The image moves between figuration, Surrealism and abstraction.

This original watercolour, signed by Bartolomé Liarte (1933–1998) and dated September 1980, exemplifies a visual language characterised by the metamorphosis of the human figure, overlapping images and a narrative approach to colour.

Bartolomé Liarte: editorial design and Surrealism

Born in Terrassa in 1933, Bartolomé Liarte Aparicio developed much of his artistic career in Barcelona, where he studied at the Escola d’Arts i Oficis de Gràcia and the Escola de la Llotja. His career was closely associated with drawing, illustration and graphic design.

During the 1960s he worked for Ediciones Zeus, becoming its creative director, and later shared a studio with the designer Enric Satué. In the 1970s he produced numerous covers for Círculo de Lectores, contributing to an editorial language in which images acquired considerable expressive independence.

His compositions often used anatomical transformations, doubled faces, unexpected associations and Surrealist visual solutions. Alongside this professional work, his personal painting explored the relationship between the human figure, colour and imaginary worlds.

His exhibition history included Barcelona’s Sala Nonell, where he exhibited in 1978. Created two years later, this work reveals the close relationship between these two aspects of his practice.

The metamorphosis of the body and identity

The composition has a distinctive visual structure: an intimate scene between two figures gradually becomes a larger face.

The women, shown in an attitude of closeness and contact, initially retain a recognisable anatomy. Their hair and bodies then merge with interwoven bands of colour that descend into an increasingly abstract structure.

Two large eyes appear within the coloured forms below. The resulting face seems to arise from the union of the upper figures, relating individuality to a fusion of identities.

This transformation can be read as an allegory of an emotional encounter, intimacy or the construction of a shared identity. The work nevertheless retains an ambiguity that permits different interpretations.

Its double perception is particularly compelling: viewed from top to bottom, the image seems to break apart; seen from below, the scattered shapes acquire a new figurative unity.

Colour, movement and graphic construction

Liarte organises the composition through clearly bounded areas of colour, using a palette dominated by intense blues, turquoise, greens, violets and mauves, balanced by small ochre and pink accents.

The curves create continuous movement between the different elements. They do more than decorate: they articulate the transition from human figures to the fantastic face.

The white paper is essential. Its broad unpainted surface provides light, concentrates attention on the central composition and accentuates the independence of the forms.

This economy of elements connects with the artist’s experience in editorial design, where clear silhouettes, spatial organisation and the image’s communicative effectiveness are particularly important.

A work dated and dedicated in 1980

A handwritten dedication to Mercedes Carbó appears in the upper-left margin, accompanied by an annotation dated September 1980 and a flourish. The work also bears a “Liarte” signature in the lower-right corner.

Two cross-shaped alignment marks and a handwritten numerical reference in the upper-right margin are further elements of its material history.

Such marks are characteristic of certain graphic preparation procedures and may relate to professional illustration and editorial reproduction. No specific publication associated with this composition has been identified.

The dedication and date add a documentary dimension, placing the work within a period of the artist’s creative maturity.

Technical details

• Artist: Bartolomé Liarte Aparicio (Terrassa, 1933–1998).

• Descriptive title: Metamorphosis of Desire.

• Date: September 1980.

• Technique: Watercolour and mixed media on paper.

• Support: Paper.

• Dimensions: 36.5 × 25.5 cm.

• Signature: Signed “Liarte” in the lower-right corner.

• Inscriptions: Handwritten dedication to Mercedes Carbó, dated September 1980 and accompanied by a flourish. Numerical reference in the upper-right margin and two cross-shaped alignment marks.

• Style: Surrealist figuration, visual metamorphosis and contemporary artistic illustration.

• Condition: The support shows slight curvature, small stains and signs of handling and ageing. Some localised surface changes are visible in coloured areas, together with a vertical mark in the lower part of the composition. The drawing remains well defined and its main elements retain their legibility.

• Notes: Original signed and dated work with a personal dedication and alignment marks that may relate to preparation for graphic reproduction. No associated publication has been identified. The title is descriptive rather than a documented original title.

The Taller Note

What distinguishes this watercolour is its ability to offer two different images within one composition. Through an elaborate interplay of lines and colours, the embrace of the upper figures becomes a large face that seems to take on a life of its own.

This visual metamorphosis is characteristic of Bartolomé Liarte’s language and shows how his experience in graphic design entered a personal, Surrealist artistic exploration.

The dedication dated September 1980, the signatures and the graphic preparation marks add a documentary dimension, recording the relationship between illustration, design and painting in the artist’s career.