LIBRO - CATÁLOGO HAITZ DE DIEGO

nuances, thus creating a kind of communication that “takes the iron” out of the composition and makes for a more fluid scene through which the air circulates and “unloosens” compositions that might otherwise seem frivolous. Like a stage designer, Haitz constructs a particu- lar world halfway between the imaginary and the real, in which the objects represented evoke —or in many cases invoke— solitude, and call to trav- el through non-existent, remote places, reserved for the clairvoyant and shrewd gaze of those who seek to be provoked. In the artist’s hand, the less notorious chapters of the process of ageing and transformation of a piece of furniture or property become visible and, paradoxically, their proclamation accentuates the lack of reality that they stand on to reveal their message, which is none other than to reveal to the spectator another way of contemplating this “magical” reality in which they reside, where space and time intertwine. His work —one might call it existential— conceals an intoxicating sensibility, but without being cloy- ing. He gently intimidates the viewer to immerse themselves into the canvas and become part of a story that only then takes shape. To do so, Haitz goes back to the furthest scenar- ios of his mind, which are also —and in a certain way— orphaned pieces of stories that were or could have been; some unfinished, others uncer - tain, all possible. He recovers lyrical fragments, snippets of stories, emotions that in a precise moment were trapped between the keys of an old piano, since then eager to be played; now hoarse and dusty next to an old and peeling wall. It is the story of so many, or the story of no one. Intramural stories that endure through those memories and longings, through those memories that are not always evoked; infinitely archived and forgotten, never disappeared. The paintings that make up this disturbing and splendid collection represent a contemplative journey into the artist’s inner self, profoundly in- fluenced by fragments of life that, like metaphors, enrich the remembrance and provide contrasts and delicate discordances. It is a hymn to mel- ancholy; a recapitulation of shattered but not lost memories, where what one breathes is not loss, but redemption. Using almost architectural nuances, he meticu- lously chooses those spaces or gaps that best connect with his sensitivity and experiences, whether they are lived or dreamt, because this is probably the least important thing. And he uses this to transmit, in an almost visceral way, his deepest feelings and emotions. That eternal component which is the antago- nism between colour and its absence provokes, THE UNDERLYING STORY “This painting reflects the last days of a widowed woman. During the Second World War, her husband was sent to the front, only a few days after their long-awaited wedding. She never heard from him again. Until the last moment, she held out hope”. LA HISTORIA SUBYACENTE «Esta pintura refleja los últimos días de una mujer viuda. Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, su marido fue mandado al frente, sólo unos cuantos días después de su tan esperada boda. Nunca volvió a saber nada de él. Hasta el último momento mantuvo la esperanza».