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The kiss

Pyrography on board. 101 x 102 cms. Signed and dated on the back of the board. 1965

Private collection

«What is in those woord boards that are now Párragas? Firstly they were lines, then fire. Now, they are bodies, hands, doves, fish, fruits, roosters, leaves, spikes, eyes... to become wood again, and roots, logs, earth, shadow.» (La Verdad, 22-II-90)

Pyrography was undoubtedly one of Párraga’s signature techniques. He made a lot of pieces in all sizes, and they can be found in hundreds of different locations. «...it isq quite a reduced technique (...) it is hard. But that’s the fun part for me. I like to take that hardness and turn it into reality». (1)

«... In 1963 he begins to practice pyrography, partially as a getaway from the tirana of the color (...) he feels that the burnt wood can replace the mural if he eliminates the concept of «painting» (2)

He often used agglomerated boards as a base, covered in natural wood laminates. This was a cheap and easy-to-find alternative for normal sizes, and they can be easily connected to enlarge the working area.

The burnt line creates a groove, which could be very profound. Párraga fills his characteristic geometric figures with different intensities and proximity of the lines.

To make the figure stand out he darkens the background with anilines or Chinese ink, both very diluted to avoid hiding the grain of the wood. He sometimes painted some areas with acrylic or oil paints. (See)

This work is one of the oldest ones documented up to this date. Maybe this is the reason behind the hesitation of some lines, which he improved notably in little time. He even stated in the press that Párraga was considered -according to an alleged «ranking» of the Unesco- as one of the best pyrography artists of the world.

«His girlfriend, Chiqui, was a skilled collaborator. She was in charge of burning the wood following the previous pencil traces that José María had made». (La Verdad, 13-VI-1964)

 

(1) Antonio Segado del Olmo. 7 pintores con Murcia al fondo. Sala Ed. Madrid 1977. Pág. 126

(2) Pedro Alberto Cruz. Párraga, Exposición antológica. 1998. Pág. 94-95