THIS IS THE PROFESSIONAL SPEECH EXERCISE MADE FOR THE SUBJECT 2ENGLISH" IN THE ESCUELA DE ARTE DE MURCIA (MURCIA SCHOOL OF ARTS) IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016. IT CONTAINS THE SPEECH WRITTEN AS NOTES AND A VIDEO ON THE AUTHOR
Shall we start? Good morning everyone, I’m glad to be here. I’d like to start by introducing myself. My name is Diana Mihova and I am a student at the Murcia school of Arts, where I am studying illustration. Today I’m going to talk about the artist called Maguma. I decided to talk about him because I find myself in his works and he inspires me. I will speak for 5 minutes. If you have any questions, I'll be pleased to answer them at the end of the presentation.
I have divided my presentation into 3 parts:At the first part I will talk about his life. Maguma is the pseudonym for Spanish artist Marcos Guardiola Martin. He is an architect, designer and illustrator, who is based in Madrid and works for a growing number of publications and international brands. He studied at the school of Architecture in Madrid, but also took the opportunity to learn abroad in Mexico and Portugal during his education.
Let’s move on the second part of my presentation.Maguma’s style will remind you of classic mid – 20th century illustration work done in pastel or gouache, and sometimes it looks like a silkscreen print saturated with ink. He strives to give the work a tactile quality, inviting the viewer to try and touch it to feel the texture. Strong concepts and colors are also prevalent in his picture.
As you can see although he works digitally using graphic tablets and digital painting software, Maguma’s work has an increasingly handmade feel. He draws almost constantly, but also loves to go climbing and cycling, which enables him to meet new people and experience the landscape. When it’s time for a break, his sketchbook comes out and he captures the moment in a drawing.
The main area that I intend to cover in this presentation is the third part about his artworks.“Illustradores a la mesa” is a supportive project which aims to make known Spanish illustrators through their cuisine. Under the premise “IF you were food, which food would you be?” Illustrators all over Spain were invited to choose the dish which best defined them and to illustrate their corresponding tableware.
Another book project is “Pandora dream”It is a puzzle – book with which you will discover the metamorphosis of Pandora. And it has also a digital illustrated album for children and not so young.
The last and not less important is this one. Published by Editorial Amanuta the book contains poems by Rafael Pombo, who is one of the greatest Latin American poets.“The poor old woman” is one of his best known poems. . With humor and irony it shows a piece of the human soul, contrasting the wealth and material wealth of the old woman with her spiritual and moral poverty.
Now I want to show you some illustrations.This one is part of a very inspiring article written by Mexican writer. The text makes us think about the feeling of guilt that we experience when checking the number of books that we haven’t read yet.
Other examples of his works.
Maguma produces a stunning conceptual piece for Circulo Civico de Opinion.The article in the Spanish magazine talks of the need for political pact and corperation in a time where Spain is facing economic difficulties. Maguma’s beautiful artwork with its blood orange texture and cross composition delivers both on concept and aesthetic.
Article about how the crisis affects seriously to mental health.
So we can see that he is a good illustrator. I think he is very creative person and I like his ideas, style and the combination of pastel colors that he uses.
And now I’m going to show you a video, so you can see the process of his work. I hope you’ll enjoy it!