Juan de la Rica (Bilbao, 1979) is a Spanish painter based in Bilbao who presents us with an imaginary far from any novelty but that continues to surprise and absorb us with each representation. Close to the sphere of pop artists such as Alex Katz or David Hockney, the pictorial work of Juan de la Rica appears to us as a breath of fresh air, dense and superficial at the same time. The protagonists of his paintings – whether humans, animals, gods or landscapes – are covered with a deep depth, accentuated by the use of color and the cleanliness of the drawing. However, this introspection is combined with the superficial halo of pop art and a fine irony present in his work.

In his interview for Sirocomag he investigates how he claims drawing as an enhancer of painting itself. He also clarifies that his themes, arduously used in the history of art, do not intend to overcome their superficial treatment, although he understands that they provoke new readings.

The pronounced melancholy of his works is also given by the play of lights and shadows, which, far from seeking realism, is the result of his painting intuition. The contradiction continues, since despite his complex opinion on painting, he does not dispense with irony in his figures.