Born in 1973 in Argentina. Currently lives and works in Rome.
Josefina Ayllón is an expressionist self-taught painter. Her subject matter focuses on portraiture.
My works are the result of a permanent struggle between an unreal portrait and the physicality of the pictorial matter itself. I am not interested in using tricks like perspective or chiaroscuro to represent reality. It’s the reality of the painting as a two-dimensional object that matters to me. Color, matter, and gesture are the fundamental elements of my work.
I use impasto mainly to make my mark evident. I am deeply attracted to those paintings where the artist’s presence is tangible. I am fascinated by how a fistful of paint on a canvas can generate something so intense. I want to think of my work as a set of paintings and drawings that make sense when viewed side by side, rather than individually—like a unique and particular universe where each painting finds its place.
Like all painters, I don’t choose the subject or the style. I could paint anything, but in the end, I always find myself painting a portrait. I have always found a prominent nose more fascinating than a vase with flowers.
All images @Josefina Ayllón