Oliver Plehn - El Abrazo Silencioso - XL

"The Silent Embrace" A powerful image with great emotional and symbolic charge. In The Silent Embrace, the coldness of steel and human vulnerability meet in a moment of unexpected intimacy. The armored, anonymous, timeless figure protects and supports a woman dressed in deep red, creating a visual and psychological contrast that invites multiple interpretations: love, refuge, memory, loss, or hope. Created by the German artist Oliver Plehn (1970), based in Madrid, this work combines contemporary figuration and poetic atmosphere. The use of the back of the canvas provides a singular texture that reinforces the evocative character of the painting. Oil on the reverse of the canvas, gouache background. Year: 2026. Dimensions: 100 × 81 cm. Unique work, signed by the artist. Delivered with certificate of authenticity. Professionally shipped rolled in a rigid protective tube. A piece with great visual presence that explores the tension between strength and tenderness, destined to become the focal point of any contemporary collection. MIRRORS OF THE SELF: PORTRAYALS OF FRAGILITY AND FORTITUDE By Antonio Sánchez. Director and curator of 1819 Art Gallery The collection we are dealing with is an emotive compendium of works that explore the depth of the human condition through portraits and figures laden with symbolism. These pieces intertwine with a visual narrative that unfolds a palette of subtle and often somber colors, evoking introspective and contemplative moods. The technical prowess reveals not only mastery of the medium but also an intense emotional connection between the artist and their subjects, each carrying a silent yet palpable story. Textures and techniques vary from softly diffused to aggressively marked, reflecting the diversity of human emotions and the complexity of our experiences. The strokes, whether firm or tremulous, together with the interaction of light and shadow, build an atmosphere that transcends the visual to touch the viewer’s soul. The work oscillates between literal representation and abstraction, allowing the viewer’s mind to fill the gaps, encouraging deeper engagement. The intentional use of discordant or unexpected elements, such as a knife piercing a figure’s face, challenges our perceptions and provokes introspection about what it means to be human in times of emotional and social tumult. The collection as a whole serves as a mirror of the fragility and fortitude inherent in the human spirit. Each piece, while remaining unique in its expression, contributes to a broader dialogue on resilience and vulnerability. The choice of subjects, from human figures to representations of animals, each infused with deep emotivity, amplifies this dialogue, suggesting universality in our emotional experiences. This set of works, beyond being merely a display of technical skill, is a testament to the power of art to move, connect, and question. The collection not only captures the aesthetic beauty of its subjects but also acts as a catalyst for personal and collective exploration of deep and often contradictory emotions. In doing so, these works invite viewers to confront the unknown within themselves and in the world around them, offering space for recognition and catharsis. Artist Biography – Oliver Plehn The work of German painter and draftsman Oliver Plehn is characterized by expressive representations of the human and animal body. Faces and bodies form the center of his artistic universe: powerful, sensitive, and rich in psychological depth. From a young age, the images of German Expressionists influenced him, whose emotional immediacy and formal freedom continue to be a reference in his artistic language to this day. From youth, Plehn decided to be an artist and to maintain his creative independence. In addition to studying painting and drawing at art schools, he studied natural sciences, which gave him professional independence and artistic freedom. In the early 1990s, a scholarship in the field of quantum mechanics brought him to Madrid. Oliver Plehn lives with his wife and two daughters in the Madrid district of Carabanchel Alto. Artistic Statement My work arises from the impulse to understand human existence in its deepest and most contradictory interior. Throughout my career, I have explored portraiture as a means to reveal not only what is visible but also what is hidden: repressed emotions, scars of the soul, gestures of silent resistance. I paint from fragility, from that liminal space where pain and beauty coexist without permission. I am not interested in capturing perfect faces, but presence, that which speaks of what remains unsaid. I am drawn to silences, looks that carry stories, bodies that vibrate with lived experience. Each work is for me an attempt at dialogue with the unknown, that inner territory from which we often try to escape. My objective as an artist is to create images that are not only observed but questioned by the viewer. I want them to act as mirrors in which one can find something of oneself, even in unease or discomfort. I work figuratively, yes, but I seek in it an openness to mystery, to doubt, to the emotion that finds no words. I feel that art has the power to heal, to reveal, and to accompany. In this sense, my practice is also a form of care: for myself, and for all those who approach these images with an open heart. Exhibitions • Online presence on Artsy • Online presence on Flecha.es • Online presence on 1819 Art Gallery •“Aqua versus Terra,” 1 – 30 September 2025, Madrid •“Madrid Oculto,” 1 June to 15 July 2025, Madrid •“The Gods of Muay Thai and a Strange One,” 1 December 2022 – 6 January 2023, Madrid •Exhibition at Yale School of Art, March 2021 •Individual exhibition at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport "Faces of the World," 30 December 2019 – 7 February 2020 •Individual exhibition "The Passion of the Christ" at Friedenskirche German church, Calle Serrano 6, Madrid •Exhibition at United Artist Fair 2019 at Casa de Cantabria, Madrid, February 2019 •Painting exhibition on Calle Serrano, Madrid, December 2018 – February 2019 •Individual painting exhibition in Madrid, Spain, November 2018 •Painting exhibition in Madrid, Spain, Calle Serrano, November 2016 – January 2017

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Oliver Plehn - El Abrazo Silencioso - XL

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