Spanish artist Manuel Jiménez Palma uses pastels to capture quotidian scenes, imbuing the ordinary with uninhibited emotional affect. He utilizes a high-keyed, exaggerated palette and emphasizes mark making over realism, giving his works a sense of spontaneity. Drawing directly onto paper without sketching, Palma manipulates the shapes and colors in his compositions to create entirely subjective scenes that challenge perception.

In works such as Beers in Andalusia., Palma images the aftermath of a small gathering, the intense red, ochre, violet, and aqua palette mirroring the exuberance of the artist. Meanwhile, Sleeping in the Yard., captures the attitude of a languid, napping cat, its surrounds transformed into a highly patterned and richly decorative abstraction. In Roofs of Seville., Palma renders the Spanish town’s skyline in pared down shapes of bold, unmodulated color, his confident mark making and vibrant palette indicating the energy of the bustling town. In each work, Palma utilizes the emotionality of brilliant color to suffuse conventional scenes with radical subjectivity.