Artist Isabel Muñoz presents at the Gallery of the Royal Collections a series that merges photography and engraving with metals, inspired by El Escorial. The exhibition explores the rooms and works of Philip II's complex, offering a contemporary perspective on this historic monument. A visual proposal that combines materials and techniques to reinterpret a space laden with symbolism.
Mixed technique: from negative to molten metal 🎨
Muñoz uses a process that integrates photographic printing onto metal plates, combining chemical etching and controlled oxidation. The images are transferred to surfaces of iron, copper, or aluminum, where acids and heat generate variable textures and colors. Each work is the result of a dialogue between the light of photography and the reaction of the metal, a method that demands precision in exposure times and temperature to achieve the desired contrast.
When Philip II asks for the workshop bill 🤴
Imagine King Philip II reviewing the expenses of this exhibition: ink, acids, metal sheets, and a bunch of photos of his hallways. He would surely ask if a good charcoal drawing wasn't enough, period. But hey, if even he struggled to decorate El Escorial, this twist with oxidized metals and effects that even the best alchemist of the era couldn't match is more than welcome.