A Few Minutes with Domingo Barreres
IBA’s La Galería in Villa Victoria Center for the Arts is currently showcasing a group of paintings by Spanish-born, Boston artist Domingo Barreres. The paintings are all part of the exhibit, “Two Spaces in One - Bridging the Distance,” which will be on until February 21.
Barreres was born in a little Spanish town, Olivo, and at 4 years of age he moved to Valencia with the rest of his family. His family later relocated to the state of Connecticut when he was 16; and following his passion, he won a scholarship and ended up studying art in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
He has a very particular style, combining the figurative and the abstract while mixing his passion for contemporary science with religion. Through his paintings Barreres touches upon philosophical topics, questioning himself and his public themes such as: where do we come from? What are we doing? Why is there something instead of nothing? But, he never has the intention of giving a concrete answer. His only objective is that each person reaches his or her own conclusions. “I don’t want to make illustrations of an idea, I want to metaphorically open the associations that each [idea] can bring,” Barreres explained.
However, it is also clear that he allows his own ideas to influence his audience. In his paintings he leaves the imprint of his own thoughts, or in his own words, “psychological weight,” guiding each individual “until they reach the point they can think without straying.”
His evolution as an artist and painter can be seen throughout all the pieces in the exhibit. The first paintings were heavily influenced by Spanish Baroque. They’re mostly figurative, meanwhile the more recent ones are experiments with all kinds of materials; such as painted mylair film, and they contain many more abstract elements.
But, painting is just one of his many interests. After having taught art lessons, Barreres retired in 2006, “And since then I do what I want, I’ve done very well for myself,” he said. He has a lot of time to think and he spends hours reading and contemplating existential questions that he later translates into art.
Without a doubt, Barreres is a special character, full of jokes and laughter. “One of the most important things for me are friends, having friends here and friends there,” he said. During opening night at IBA’s La Galería, he shared his dancing abilities with all those in attendance, treating his audience with Sevillanas.
One thing this artist doesn’t like are commercial galleries. This is why he enjoyed IBA’s La Galería in Villa Victoria Center for the Arts so much, “I know they can sell the paintings, but they won’t tell me make it smaller, or darker, or make it match the sofa,” he commented.
In this gallery what matters is fostering art, not selling the pieces; and Barreres is in agreement....