The art of Sigfrido Martín Begué is surreal and futuristic at the same time, drawing upon painterly techniques of Italy and Spain’s neoclassical painters. His work embraces modern and contemporary societal themes while deploying deeply-rooted Christian symbolism and metaphors. The artwork style recalls De Chirico and El Greco with a post-modern twist.
Sigfrido’s figures are often elongated and stylized, and the color palette is bold in places and muted in others. His sense of humor and irony is evident in almost every major work. Sigfrido’s portfolio included his pencil drawings to large-scale oil paintings executed with the precision of his Spanish predecessors. His paintings fit into large contemplative themes, from Los Automátas to Las Máquinas. All of the dresses depicted in the series are designs of Cristóbal Balenciaga, who opened his first clothing boutique in 1917 in San Sebastián, Spain.
Santa Lucía – La Vista, Sigfrido Martín Begué (1990)
Sigfrido’s Santa Lucía – La Vista is a vibrant painting about vision. The large eyes in the foreground are a big clue that this is Santa Lucía. With her back facing the viewer, we cannot see her eyes at all. Like the other Santas, she is wearing a Balenciaga-inspired dress. She is taking a vision test. On the wall, the artist created a gallery of paintings, including all kinds of visual tests and examinations. Finally, one sees a small demon in the foreground with visual trickery often used by painters.
About Santa Lucía
Santa Lucía (283-304) originated in Syracuse, Italy. She was the daughter of a Roman nobleman who died when she was only five years old. Santa Lucía pledged her virginity to God and gave her riches to the poor. Unfortunately, her widowed mother had already promised her to a wealthy pagan. When her betrothed learned of the disbursement of her dowry, he denounced her to the governor. As legend has it, they attempted to defile and burn her at the stake, but she survived. She died after gouging out her eyes. Miraculously, claims that her eyes were intact when unearthed in the 16th century still prevail.
Santa Cecilia – El Oído, Sigfrido Martín Begué (1989)
Sigfrido’s Santa Cecilia – El Oído is a beautifully composed image about the topic of sound. We know this is Santa Cecilia as the artist has her seated at the organ, one historically accurate way she has been portrayed. Everything about this work tells us we are contemplating sound. From the dog, an apparent reference to the 1898 image of “Nipper” the dog in the Victrola gramophone advertisements, to the insides of the machine, Sigfrido’s use of imagery is rich in detail. Notice the ear canals inside the gramophone and the five mouths articulation of the vowels on top of the organ. Santa Cecilia is considering all the sounds in the room. Or she perhaps she hears the same sound the dog hears? Or is it the sound from the mouths singing music as she touches the keyboard? Like the saints in the other paintings, she wears a Balenciaga dress.
About Santa Cecilia
Santa Cecilia (died c. 176 AD) originated in Rome, Italy. She was the daughter of Roman nobility, and pledged her virginity to God, but was subsequently forced to wed a man named Valerian. After having “sung in her heart to God” during her wedding, Cecilia explained that she had a guardian angel that would harm him for defiling her virginity. Her husband asked for proof of the angel. After following her baptism instructions, he was able to see the angel and also became a martyr before Santa Cecilia fell to her persecution. An attempt was made to suffocate her in the baths, but she survived unscathed. Next, she was nearly beheaded but managed to survive severe wounds to her neck for three days. As legend has it, her body was later uncovered entirely intact. She is the patron saint of music.
As Seen in “Pain and Glory”
Sigfrido Martín Begué (Madrid, 1959-2010) created two of the most prominent paintings in the film Pain and Glory, Las Costureras (1996) and Santa Casilda – El Olfato (1986).
