‘‘THE TRUE ARTIST CREATES WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE MARKET’’

By: Romina Córdoba

I find myself in the studio where Luis Moscoso is painting the buttocks of a reclining woman who seems to be looking right at me. The window slams shut suddenly because of the wind, yet nothing else moves. Everything there appears frozen in time—the wooden, cracked tables are scattered with stains left by brushes long ago. Dust is an integral part of that dirty, old, and worn-out room, which is nevertheless filled with art and paint. The floor is made of wooden planks, and there are paintings hanging on easels, others arranged along the walls, as well as frames of all sizes.

I ask him when he started painting and, with a smile, he tells me that it’s a question he is often asked:
“Art was born with me; from a very young age I was already drawing and painting. When I decided to devote myself entirely to what I loved, I realized that the exhibitions I held were a success—my works were very well received and sold easily.”

Luis is a native of Ourense, born in ’63, who left his architecture studies in his third year to devote himself fully to art. He is self-taught through experience and an aesthete by profession. He now boasts sixty exhibitions, both group and solo, featuring more than 3,000 works (as many as the spots and freckles on his face), and he has participated in workshops with renowned painters such as Antonio Arias, Hernán Zúñiga, Pablo Cabrera, Fernando Manrique, and Kathelin Walsh.

He believes that an artist is born with an inner drive to express himself—a desire that compels him to reveal his unique way of seeing life, which he manifests in the manner he can:
“Techniques flow within me; I don’t follow just one, but rather those I require.”

¿Which painters have influenced you the most, and is there one in particular that you are passionate about?

I could speak of a broader influence; as someone who has studied art history, I admire countless creators. Throughout the various periods of art, there are the classics such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael; the Baroque masters like Caravaggio, Rubens, Velázquez, and Rembrandt; the Impressionists such as Monet, Sisley, Degas, and Renoir; and the Post-Impressionists, Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Then comes Picasso, who breaks with everything traditional and leaves behind ten decades of classical art. It would be endless to name all those who have been truly authentic, natural-born creators. My art is a syncretism that spans a wide range, yet remains original and one-of-a-kind.

¿What defines your style and what do you seek in painting?

My style is timeless—it transcends both space and time. I express myself through painting, which serves as a profoundly personal and spiritual outlet; for me, creating is living.

I am a painter of diverse themes; I do not confine myself to a single approach, as that would be monotonous. I have mastered both classic and modern techniques and pictorial methods. I work with oils, acrylics, inks, fountain pen, and watercolors, but I am particularly known for incorporating texture, marble dust, sand, and resins—materials that imbue my work with tremendous character and expressiveness.

I do not limit myself to painting the superficial; within a face, a body, or a landscape, I immerse myself in each figure, allowing artistic concepts to emerge that invite us to reflect on the essence of the world. I steer clear of a repetitive formula, as new themes continuously arise and evolve.

I have noticed that your work reflects women in many facets, including nudes, headless figures, and more erotic forms. ¿How do you conceive of this aesthetic in your creations?

I have always been inspired by the human figure, especially that of women. Just as Raphael celebrated the Madonnas, my work focuses on tenderness, nature, and the sensuality within the female body. Sometimes I paint them as headless figures because I choose to emphasize a particular part of their body—like their legs, for example—which I find both beautiful and sensual, so I strive to highlight that feature. In other pieces, I paint floral heads because nature is the core identity of my art, and alongside that, I have developed an abstract theme that I call “quantum reality.”

Let me share an anecdote with you. My studio is built of wooden planks, and downstairs lived a man who abused his wife. I would constantly hear screams, blows, and other disturbing sounds; one day, while I was painting, I wasn’t aware of what was happening until a few hours later, when I realized I had created the face of a Christ who was crying blood. My sensitivity had absorbed that pain into his eyes. Art can be expressed through various forms of pain and anguish.

¿Have you ever experienced a crisis that made you stop painting?

I've had my share of crises in life, just like everyone, I suppose. But I've never stopped painting. In fact, I began studying architecture and dropped out in my third year to devote myself entirely to painting. I don't regret it, because perhaps I wouldn't have achieved all that I am today.

¿How do you see the current painting scene in Ecuador?

Well in Ecuador, although it's true that new art institutes and universities have emerged, there is still a long way to go. Artists do not receive the support they deserve. In my case, I have had to progress on my own, using my own resources. Instead of increasing, galleries have dwindled. As creators, we must venture out and knock on doors in other countries. Ecuador has become a very commercial, craft-oriented, and repetitive market.

¿What do you mean by a repetitive and commercial market? Headless

Today, many pictorial movements have emerged that claim everything is art, yet not everything meets the standard of excellence. For instance, there are painters who confine themselves to a single theme, using it as a template—they create paintings of colorful trees, all following the same scheme. Their work is more decorative than artistic. The true artist creates without looking at the market or following fashion trends; that genuine artist is influential because his vision emerges in a unique and unrepeatable way.

¿What projects do you currently have?

I am promoting my art internationally through the internet. Thanks to the web, many galleries have discovered my work, and photos of some of my paintings along with reviews of my art have already been published in the book Anuario V by the Arte Libre gallery in Zaragoza, Spain. This book features the best realist and hyperrealist painters in the world. Additionally, I am listed with the Latino Americana de Arte gallery, based in Texas, and with the Busco Arte gallery in New York.