80 - LAXEIRO, JOSÉ OTERO ABELEDO (Lalín, Pontevedra, 1908–Vigo, 1996).

LAXEIRO, JOSÉ OTERO ABELEDO (Lalín, Pontevedra, 1908–Vigo, 1996). “Untitled.” Madrid, 1967. Ink on cardstock. Signed, dated, located, and inscribed “For Mariam” in the lower right corner. Cataloged work. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Laxeiro Foundation. Measurements: 50.2 × 35 cm; 57 × 42 cm (frame). This portrait belongs to Laxeiro’s American period, which took place mainly in Buenos Aires between 1951 and 1970, though punctuated by trips and stays in Europe. Without sacrificing likeness, Laxeiro transforms the model through a subjective synthesis in which observation, spontaneity, and expressive distortion coexist. The economy of means demonstrates the independent importance that drawing held in his career, not only as a preparation for painting but as a fully developed language in its own right. Laxeiro was a key figure in the Galician Painting Renewal Movement, alongside artists such as Carlos Maside, Manuel Colmeiro, and Luis Seoane. He spent much of his career in Buenos Aires and developed a style that integrated Galician folk tradition, Expressionism, and European avant-garde movements. The Laxeiro Foundation in Vigo houses a permanent collection of sixty-four works that traces the different stages of his artistic production.