Nicolas Monjo
Nicolas Monjo is a self-taught painter with a unique and poetic technique. His works, focused on the human figure trapped in almost surreal worlds, explore the struggle to transcend our condition in an anxiety-inducing society.
Biography
The artist masterfully plays with the laws of chemistry by blending acrylic and oil on the same canvas, creating pronounced relief effects that draw the viewer into his world. He favors shades of gray and dark blue, making his works immediately recognizable through a unique, fantastical atmosphere that borders on surrealism.
The human figure is at the heart of his work, often set in fantastical worlds. His subjects are frequently confined, crushed by the frame of the painting, symbolizing the difficulty of transcending our condition in a violent and anxiety-inducing society. The dominant/dominated relationship is frequently explored, with the recurring figure of the fish as its ultimate expression.
Monjo reveals himself in each of his paintings, subtly unveiling his own experiences in a harsh and cold world where the law of the strongest often prevails. He brilliantly captures the fragility of the human condition that seems to oppress all his characters. Both figuratively and literally, men and women are enclosed within the canvas frames—a stark reminder of their inability to break free from the mundane chains of existence and daily life.