ABOUT ATLANTE
Artist: Aurelio Rodriguez Lopez
Land of Origin: Spain
To look upon ancient organic relics bathed in moving water feels archaic and natural, but the mind wanders to many mysteries of stories about water. The fact that a great civilization existed and suddenly disappeared remains fascinating. The reflection of the lost continent evokes visions of a mysterious island glistening from the rays of a blazing sun. What ephemeral and brilliant culture its inhabitants must have possessed.
Plato’s texts place Atlantis in front of the Pillars of Hercules, a place attributed to the Strait of Gibraltar that marked the limit of the known world. It is here, on the Atlantic coast of Cádiz where Aurelio has set the scene of this painting. There’s a comfort in knowing that something could exist for so long, and its joy be resurrected so completely with every experience.
Symbolically, the figure represents the Atlantean people and the rocks, which are the last vestiges of paradise lost. This pastel, in all its brilliancy, is a tribute to loveliness that continues to inspire.