Felo Odriozola (or El Felo, as he is better-known in Spain) is a Uruguayan-born artist and digital painter living and working in Valencia. His uniquely-styled portraits are a visual explosion of colors and planes, fracturing recognizable features into stunning abstract art that almost appears to fly off the 2D surface of his work.
Formation in Information, below, is just one example in his “Unfinished Art” series.
I love the intense contrast seen in this piece, especially between the skin tones, the background, and hair. A face almost emerges from beneath that dark crown, but the expression is completely obscured in geometric shards of color.
In fact, El Felo’s deliberate obfuscation of facial features is what makes his paintings so intriguing. . . you FEEL as though you should be able to peer through and see the subject behind the abstraction, but there’s always something in the way.
Beaten Analysis, above, shows and abstracted portrait of a businessman in suit and tie. Geometrically-shaped planes of blue surround his downcast face. A strong hooked nose (perhaps) catches the light.
I get a sense of exhaustion. A subtle slumping of the shoulders, and lowered eyes. And yet, the face itself is just beyond our reach.
Lastly, Visionary Fuge gf is a gorgeous abstract portrait with the holy trinity of colors: red, white, and black.
Sharp lines somehow blur together to create softer edges in this painting by El Felo. A cascade of dark hair tumbles down one side of the portrait, blending in dark ruby tones with the red outfit below. Opposite, cheekbones, forehead, neck, and clavicle catch the light and fade into the pure white background.
If you have a few minutes today, I highly encourage you to visit El Felo’s website and see the rest of his fascinating, incredibly unique geometric portraits!
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