Cristian Mesa Velazquez - Apnea

Apnea Oil on canvas · 42 x 62 cm · 2026 A swimmer descends toward the viewer in full breath-hold: eyes closed, a barely hinted smile, arms open in the propulsion of the stroke. The face, almost frontal, occupies the center of the canvas and is pierced by the surface light. Instead of a continuous modeling, the painter builds it with patches of pink, ochre, and turquoise that settle on the skin like the reflection of the pool itself. Over that face float bubbles painted like tiny crystal lenses. One rests on the forehead, as a third eye, and others cross the nose and eyelid. Each has a border of light impasto and a pinpoint reflection that gives relief to the surface and invites a close look. They are breath made matter, suspended above a figure that remains calm, between restraint and surrender. The rest of the composition maintains control: an intense cobalt blue, crossed by the turquoise light network of the pool’s bottom, and a single dark accent, the hair and the garnet swimsuit, which anchor the figure. The brushstroke is loose and confident, with the contrast of warm over cool recurring in his series of submerged figures, within the contemporary tradition of swimming-painting underwater. Technique: oil on canvas Measurements: 42 x 62 cm Signed bottom left, 2026 Original work, handmade Includes certificate of authenticity Shipped unframed for maximum security in transport

Estimate:$1,123.71

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