Alberto Martinez

A combination of good luck, sound preparation and the help of friends and relatives (who saw his artistic potential) led Alberto to obtain a place at the Fine Arts Academy ‘Oscar Fernandez Morera’ in the beautiful city of Trinidad. He was initially to study sculpture, but switched to painting when he started experimenting with oil on canvas. His knowledge of sculpture did however continue to in? uence his use of shape, spatial composition and overall style.

Following graduation Alberto had a number of exhibitions of his work in Cuba before he moved in 2005 to Brighton, England, where he continues to live and work.

Blessed with a sense of humour and fun he says he inherited from his dad, his work starts with an initial idea which he tends to develop in the small hours when ‘rational thinking is asleep’. His surrealistic style is a blend of wit, imagination, hidden meaning and nuance, and his works explore the issues of modern man through landscapes and cityscapes littered with dream-like, surreal imagery. From very recognisable metropolises to intimate streets, he distorts reality in support of his painting’s fascinating narratives which re?ect Alberto’s keen sense of history, and his understanding of political science and the changing nature of the global community.

Distinctive features of his recent works include the use of colour (warm, often almost tropical), painstaking detail, wit, humour, and a variety of intriguing elements that intertwine to challenge our conventional views of the world.

A relentless pursuit for technical improvement enhances Alberto’s work discipline, which is a prominent characteristic of his personality. His oil on canvas paintings take weeks, indeed sometimes months to complete, and intricately craft stories that often draw inspiration from the challenges presented by his move to England