Spanish artist Lita Cabellut paints 17th century Spanish and Dutch Baroque inspired portraits that are larger than life. A visit to Madrid’s Prado Museum when she was young affected her deeply, where she first saw the works of Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya and Frans Hals. She captures the spirit of those old master paintings in a fresh way using a mixture of traditional fresco technique with a combined palette of muted colors with spots of vibrancy. Widely recognized for her unique color combinations, her signature has been coined as the “Cabellut-pallete”. As well as having a bold handling of the paint, there is a subversive imaginative element in her portraits. One could almost mistake her subjects’ faces as photographs for the realistic and luminescent quality of their skin. Cabellut only paints those whom she admires and respects in all aspects, and most important to her is telling their stories. In an original poem at her website, she states, “I am more than a painter, I am a storyteller.” Lita Cabellut will present a new series of works by Opera Gallery at Frieze Art Fair 2015 in October.
