Felix is finished painting. Look for the exhibit of his work in 2004!

Félix de la Concha
A CONTRARRELOJ
double panorama of Clayton in 24 hours
February 28 - April 18, 2004

A CONTRARRELOJ

Félix de la Concha is a Visiting Artist this summer at the Frick Art & Historical Center. For his project, he is interpreting Clayton, the former home of Henry Clay Frick, by making 24 paintings (48 x 21½ inches), one for each hour of the day. Together these paintings create a panoramic view of the Clayton exterior and its surrounding neighborhood.

Mr. de la Concha has positioned himself on the northwest terrace of Clayton. He stands in the same spot, and turns his body slightly counterclockwise each hour, capturing a 360° view of his environment. This circular view is divided into 12 sections: he paints each scene twice in 24 hours at the opposite time of day. For example, the 3 p.m. view is also the 3 a.m. view. Each day he works on A CONTRARRELOJ as much as weather and human limitations allow.

A contrarreloj is a Spanish expression meaning "against the clock" or to race against time. Mr. de la Concha works in hourly intervals like a clock, but moves in a counter-clockwise motion. Working against the clock, both literally and figuratively, he turns his body to the left, capturing the subtle changes in light.

All of de la Concha’s painting is done en plein air, incorportating the current season and atmosphere. His interest in recording fluctuations of light in the natural environment is associated with the 19^th-century Impressionists, who also were plein air painters. Similar to these artists, de la Concha paints in oil on traditional linen canvas.

Mr. de la Concha paints extremely close scenes of Clayton’s massive walls and unusual convex windows. Although they are represented naturalistically, the uncommon perspective and depiction offers a sense that these structures are organic and fluid. For the viewer, the perception of a typical wall radically shifts, and the experience of this architecture is transformed.

The finished paintings will be exhibited in The Frick Art Museum rotunda from February 28 through April 18, 2004. Félix de la Concha is one of several Visiting Artists who have been invited to the Center this year. The artists, who come from a variety of disciplines, visit and respond creatively to the historic site. Through these contemporary artist projects, the Frick encourages the public to explore its collections in new and exciting ways.

Félix de la Concha was born in Leon, Spain in 1962. He studied at the Facultad de Bellas Artes in Madrid, and in 1989 was awarded the prestigious Rome Prize (Prix de Rome) at the Academia de Bellas Artes. Today, he has permanent residences in North Carolina and Madrid, Spain.