Vibrant Palette Knife Paintings Capture the Beauty and Strength From Around the World

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Since graduating from the Florence Academy of Art in 2016, Spanish painter Elena Gual has continued to develop her artistic practice. She’s been building on and evolving from more academic techniques to establish her own bold, painterly style. Now based in London, the talented artist channels much of her output towards portraiture and images of the female form—transmitting the strength, power, and beauty of femininity with thick impasto upon her canvases. Her paintings tend to capture a unique light as it catches the almost geometric juxtaposition of her dense brushstrokes. From this light comes a softness that is underscored by the firm contours of her subjects, etched in rich pigments that leap from the planar surface of the canvas.

“I have always been connected to the human form,” Gual tells My Modern Met, “especially since I graduated from the Florence Academy of Art. While studying there I felt that I had to express those emotions with my own signature—being today my own painting style. So nowadays, I keep trying to explore the feelings women evoke, as I feel they have so much to tell about them. I feel that any artist’s work is a reflection of ourselves, so at the end of the day, mine is my biography. Since a very young age, I have been lucky enough to travel to every continent various times; and on those trips, I was able to meet amazing women in a lot of remote places where I learnt that not all women can express themselves freely. That’s what gave me the urge to start to give them a voice, and I try to continue doing it in my work.”

Scroll down to see images of Gual’s incredible paintings. To keep up with the artist’s latest work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

Spanish artist Elena Gual captures powerful portraits of women using thick impasto.

Elena Gual Colorful Portraits

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Colorful Portraits

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

The artist seeks to empower women by giving them a voice and channels much of her output towards portraiture and images of the female form.

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Colorful Portraits

Her paintings transmit the power, strength, and beauty of feminity through their vibrant colors and steady, decisive brushstrokes.

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Colorful Portraits

Elena Gual Impasto Portraits

Elena Gual Colorful Portraits

Elena Gual: WebsiteInstagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Elena Gual.

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Arnesia Young

Arnesia Young is a contributing writer for My Modern Met and an aspiring art historian. She holds a BA in Art History and Curatorial Studies with a minor in Design from Brigham Young University. With a love and passion for the arts, culture, and all things creative, she finds herself intrigued by the creative process and is constantly seeking new ways to explore and understand it.
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