Tempidipinti

The first solo exhibition by Fernando Clemente (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, 1975) at the Rafael Ortiz Gallery reveals many of his concerns as an artist, part of them linked to the assumption of the idea of painting as a complex process of elaboration where a painting is not only a final image, but the consequence of adding an infinity of previous moments that are accumulated and become superimposed. It is precisely the praxis generated in the studio that becomes here the main argument, which assumes that these works flee from literalism as an exercise in linguistics that is based, above all, on research in situ.

In the process of creating a painting, Clemente remains in tension before what he does. Focused, concentrated, without being satisfied with what he is achieving. Self-demandingness is a trait of maturity, an example of personal struggle in which the painter corrects over and over what has already been done until finding the right accent that each piece needs. The painting is shaped by this progression through which he adds layers upon layers. It is a direct working method, based on knowledge, which allows Clemente to move forward motivated by intuition and discovery. To make visible this daily struggle that takes place in the workshop is to tell the story, to reveal the previous stages, to give meaning to a craft that needs both tactile perception and the gaze.

We cannot forget that painting is a physical act that requires a support where an imprint is left. On the canvas, some ideas are erased and others prevail. Chance also has a place in this cycle, where there are no formulas and controlled uncertainty prevails. Regrets, deviations, are also part of the identity of the work, which is built by trial and error before reaching a closure. In fact, the final state of a piece is the best possible outcome of all the options considered up to that very moment. Although these options are not always obvious, the steps taken are there, they can be followed in a form of archeology. Leaving the process uncovered, without completely covering up what has been happening, is one of the defining qualities of Fernando Clemente's production, which gives more importance to the spontaneous gesture over any conceptual justification. This sediment gives warmth and personality to his painting, brings it closer to a kind of inexplicable emotion capable of moving us.

The title of the exhibition adds humor and irony with a play on words, almost a tongue twister. Tempidipinti is a fictitious term, without a meaning, but it leads us to the Italian language. In fact, at a glance, if we let ourselves be carried away by an intuitive translation, it possesses an ambivalent characteristic of Clemente's style: to someone it could seem like an unanswerable phrase taken from a treatise that says something like "time to paint, time to paint" and to others, it could be a popular crutch like the refrain Nel-blu, dipinto-di-blu from the song Volare. It's not the case, neither for one interpretation nor the other, although we must point out that this word or pseudo-foreignism that frames this proposal is linked to the artist's current imaginary and tells us about his obsessions and his current work, which will take him to Palermo for a solo exhibition at the Cervantes Institute after participating in ARCOmadrid 2025 with our Gallery.