{"id":104467,"date":"2025-05-15T20:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T20:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/104467\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T20:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T20:54:09","slug":"esai-alfredos-oil-paintings-merge-mysterious-narratives-with-miami-vice-noir-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/104467\/","title":{"rendered":"Esa\u00ed Alfredo’s Oil Paintings Merge Mysterious Narratives with ‘Miami Vice’ Noir \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an iconic 1979 episode<\/a> of Saturday Night Live, Steve Martin and Bill Murray shuffle onstage dressed like tourists. Peering out beyond the camera\u2014and thus behind us\u2014they repeatedly ask, \u201cWhat the hell is that?\u201d Stoking our curiosity and never divulging what \u201cthat\u201d really is, yet preventing us from ever seeing it either, the answer is left entirely to our imaginations. Beyond the duo\u2019s characteristic absurdity, we\u2019re enticed to consider the endless possibilities of the unknown, just out of frame.<\/p>\n

For Miami-based artist Esa\u00ed Alfredo<\/a>, the confines of the cinematic screen and a sense of wonder play central roles in large-scale, enigmatic oil paintings. Male figures stand facing the distant horizon, observing dark plumes of smoke or, in some cases, events only they can see.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cThe Wait\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 50 x 72 inches<\/p>\n

Alfredo draws inspiration for his palette from Miami Vice, specifically the rich pastels and glowing contrasts evocative of the show\u2019s stylized, 1980s New Wave aesthetics. Bright pink and teal complement the deep blacks of nighttime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI allow myself to play with colors and lighting situations that appear surreal or impossible,\u201d he tells Colossal, sharing that the choice of hues serve as tools for telling stories. He adds, \u201cMy biggest influences in terms of color have been old movies, science fiction, theater, and the cinematography of films by Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alfredo also likens his paintings to screenshots or freeze frames, as if plucked from an enigmatic, longer narrative. His sketchbook contains countless renderings, including drawings of settings and characters akin to storyboards for a movie.<\/p>\n

Once he translates a basic sketch into a color study, Alfredo translates the idea to photographic compositions involving real people and various objects. \u201cOnce I have all my reference photos ready, I compose an image on my iPad to see how the painting will turn out. The rest is painting,\u201d he says, leaving enough room for the inevitable improvisation.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cLa Playa Lucia\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 10 x 20 inches<\/p>\n

A suite of new paintings titled STARLESS that Alfredo recently exhibited with Spinello Projects<\/a> at EXPO CHICAGO are \u201csnapshots of a larger story I\u2019m still uncovering,\u201d he says. Otherworldly magentas and teals envelop figures in a variety of natural landscapes, beneath a sky devoid of celestial objects. Instead, mysterious objects fall from above, and the characters react to the phenomena with wonder, fear, and confusion. \u201cI love capturing those moments when we feel powerless and can only observe for a moment before taking action,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Find more on Alfredo\u2019s website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cThe Theme Park\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 72 x 96 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cMoon\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cThe Everglades\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 72 x 96 inches<\/p>\n

\"a\u201cAntonio\u201d (2025), oil on canvas, 40 x 60 inches<\/p>\n

\"aDetail of \u201cNear the Military Base\u201d<\/p>\n

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