Eduardo Arroyo

The Spanish painter was born in Madrid in 1937. Having fled to Paris at the end of the 1950s to escape FrancoÕs regime, Eduardo Arroyo first dreamt of becoming a journalist then a writer, but his desire to paint quickly eclipsed everything else. His early work was greatly influenced by Modigliani, but throughout his life his artwork was socially-engaged and infused with the love-hate relationship he maintained with his native country.He often painted political subjects, sometimes suffused with derision. His canvases, characterised by blocks of bright colour, bear the signs of his careful consideration of how image is represented. ÒIÕve never believed in messages,Ó he said. ÒRather the exemplary nature of the piece and the painter.Ó