Josep Francés Anaya blurs the boundaries of reality and fantasy in his richly detailed oil paintings of populated cityscapes. Set against recognizable architecture in Times Square and Midtown Manhattan, Anaya depicts strong, mythical, magical women amidst sleek skyscrapers and avenue grids. The result is a series of richly detailed, boldly colored works that imbue everyday environments with an air of futuristic fantasy.

 

In The Lost Princess in Thames, Anaya renders the stark, rectilinear form of the Empire State Building, and looming above is a winged woman descending from the sky like an extraterrestrial god. Icara, ostensibly the female Icarus, depicts a flailing woman in a gyroscope of light and color, her wings melting in the heat of the sun. Similarly, Icara in New York represents the otherworldly woman walking through the city streets, her strength and power radiating through her confrontational gaze. Finally, Ball-Drop focuses singularly on the geometry of architecture. From an aerial perspective, Anaya renders the cold, metallic built environment of Manhattan with hyper-realistic precision.