Beatriz Valiente

Beatriz Valiente is a draftswoman, painter, sculptor, and printmaker who has exhibited extensively in countries across Europe including Spain, Portugal, Germany, Estonia, Italy, the United Kingdom, and internationally in Mexico. Solo exhibitions include Cristo del Buen Consejo Showroom and Giamart DKS Gallery, both in Spain. She has participated in fellowships and residencies and her work remains in collections in various institutions such as L'Urgell Museum and Garrotxa Museum in Spain.

The paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints represent semi-minimalistic impressions, forms, and patterns. Sometimes the works resemble organic forms, aspects of nature, and geological designs while other times coming off as total abstractions. While many abstract artists tend to use large, expressive strokes on their surface, Beatriz stands out with her tiny, intricate, scratchy, scribbly, and asymmetrical marks. She often leaves large areas of negative space in the shape of triangles while usually placing her subject or form slightly off-center and rarely fills up the composition. Her most recent art tends to make heavy use of pastel tones while her older work contains more gray and neutral tones.

No Title (second from top of article) remains distinct in the bold use of a sustained muted yellow spread across the surface. Resembling a gong, shield, or even a sun, the circular abstraction remains flat along a textured background. The intimate scratchy marks spread out as they move towards the circumference of the circle and tighten close together as they reach the core. Within the center remains a small solid yellow circle drawing our attention away from the muted yellow throughout the rest of the composition. Harmonious and elegant, the painting represents an almost ancient beauty with subtle hints of marks gently placed on the wood. Coming off as mesmerizing, the work reflects a sense of tranquility and inner peace through subtle and simple form placed directly in the center of the composition.

Beatriz has a small series of works on paper which portray various coral and crustaceans such as Coral III (pictured above). The series represents a distinct and stylized use of representation which slightly strays from her more abstracted pieces. However, consistency remains in all the works through the use of intricate patterns. Coming off as seemingly organic and gentle, the subjects are represented through muted pastel tones and exotic shapes. They remain unpredictable as the forms change from one section to another and are laid out in diamond-shaped compositions.

These marvelous works come off as visual music with selective patterns of rhythm orchestrated and stretched out over the course of time. Beatriz Valiente creates gentle and subtle works of art which reflect an appreciation for a flat surface. Although there remains forms in the art, the distinct flattening out of the intricate patterns create a sense of appreciation for the composition and material. Similarly, her three-dimensional works represent a sense of containment within the surrounding space, often placed within frames, coming off flat surfaces, or held within glass cases. Land (red) (pictured two images below) remains one such example of the suppression of form within the art. Contained within a box, the sculpture almost denies the use of space preferring to communicate through patterns and texture. Throughout Beatriz’s work the past three decades remains a solid and stylized consistency. The growth in the works shows through the development of brighter colors and even smaller and more intricate marks. Inspiring and elegant, these quiet works of art communicate an intelligent commentary on further development of minimalistic qualities in contemporary image-making.