161 - JUAN BAUTISTA NIETO (Lora del Río, Seville, 1963).

JUAN BAUTISTA NIETO (Lora del Río, Seville, 1963). "Mayte III". Acrylic on panel. Signed. Measurements: 100 x 62 cm; 122 x 84 cm (frame). This work by Juan Bautista Nieto is a masterful example of contemporary Spanish hyperrealism. Nieto is known for his technical ability to capture human skin and textures with almost photographic precision, while maintaining a deeply painterly and emotional atmosphere. Juan Bautista Nieto exhibited for the first time at the Caja de Ahorros de San Fernando in Seville in 1985, to great acclaim; since then, he has exhibited on numerous occasions in Seville, various cities in Spain, Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Like other hyperrealist painters, he produces very few paintings each year; his large-format works take him between six and nine months to complete. His work displays an almost obsessive commitment to recreating a reality that goes beyond the exact representation of a photograph. It transcends the theme and concept of hyperrealism, using it as a vehicle to transport us to another level where an extraordinary intensity is achieved—one that, paradoxically, creates a strong sense of unreality. His technique is equally obsessive, demanding, and exhaustive. Every facet of his subject is rendered with meticulous and personal attention to detail. He uses oil and acrylic, combining them in delicate, continuous layers of multiple nuances and tones of light, shadow, and density. Many art experts and critics consider him one of the leading exponents of hyperrealism in Spain. The influence of the Extremaduran hyperrealist painter Eduardo Naranjo can be seen in some of his works.