Tomàs Sunyol
Streets (diptych)
L'Eixample (diptych)
La rue rouge (diptych)
Doblegant murs
La post
Passeig del llac
Un fil d'olor (triptych)
La perruca de Maria Antonieta
1964, Dieulefit, France
Shadow as an expression of the spirit
"Tomàs Martínez Sunyol was born in Dieulefit (France) in 1964 and was surrounded by art from a young age. Both his father, Joaquim Martínez Lerma, and uncle, Álvaro Sunyol, were painters and Tomàs quickly developed an interest in the plastic arts. Like most vocational artists, Sunyol's formative years in this field were tough, and he focused his talent for drawing and colour on illustration. The family moved to Catalonia, settling in Badalona where Sunyol attended the Pau Gargle School and his creative talents came to the fore, bringing him into contact with publishers, art fairs and international competition. Given such a broad stage, Sunyol flourished in Europe and America and his work, signed simply "Tomàs", is highly sought after.
The artist has great technical skill and a particular feeling for colour, which directly translates into his interesting vision of the surrounding environment. He has participated in many competitions, been selected for numerous international exhibits and won several awards, including the Torres García City of Mataro and Museu Diocesà of Barcelona prizes.
I believe that, perhaps subconsciously, Tomàs Martínez Sunyol's work portrays the current human condition through shadow - wherever there is light there is always shadow. We live in a society where the representations of what we consider, and which essentially are, fundamental are elusive, changing and constantly shifting. Even though they are secondary, the artist determines their worth and highlights it -first the light, then the shadow- depicting the intimacy of our reality, and to greater effect than the established forms: ambling along one of the alleyways, observing the windows, feeling the touch of the red tablecloths and contemplating the shadow of the neighbour's towel left to dry in the sun are just a few examples. However, they evoke much stronger feelings, where the familiar envelopes us in a sense of security. He boldly portrays the enduring power behind the seemingly complementary which, in truth, is vital to our surroundings. Chamizo said it would be unthinkable to lose the shadows cast by day and night, and only those who sold their soul to the Devil would suffer such a fate. Sunyol keeps these words in mind, and combats them using his creative spirit and power to resist temptation."
Josep M. Cadena