The paintings of Arnaldo Roche Rabell, born in 1955 in Puerto Rico, are best described as huge and dramatic. He uses enormous canvases, bright colors and a pallet knife. He covers his live models in the raw canvas and then rubs the paint on to get a silhouette of their bodies and faces. After their picture is impregnated in the fabric, Roche Rachell keeps putting layer upon layer of paint until a complex expressionistic character arises. Watch how he works in this video.

His technique and execution have earned him numerous awards and critical recognition. His work is found around the world in international collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts in Venezuela; and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Paintings used in this article:

‘Give him Wheels and he will Run’ (2013), Arnaldo Roche Rabell, oil on canvas ‘ You have to Dream in Blue ‘ (1986), Arnaldo Roche Rabell

‘Self-portrait’ (1990), Arnaldo Roche Rabell, oil on canvas

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