Mad wise men (2022) Painting by Alfonso Sánchez

Painting inspired by the macro-schematic cave paintings found in Pla de Petracos (Castell de Castells- Alicante).

Piece worked with music by Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Tom Waits...

In the Pla de Petracos Sanctuary, there is an extraordinary set of paintings spread over six shelters as a natural "altarpiece" on the spectacular rocky wall.

In this work, an imaginary scene is created, built with praying people (reminiscent of those of Petracos) in different positions together with animals and plants. Somehow the composition is similar to what can be found in some caves or shelters; elements from different stories painted at different times, partially overlapping and taking advantage of the shapes and reliefs of the rock (reliefs and textures are created in the work with gesso, crackle paste...) to give shape and volume to the figures.

Macro-schematic art is only found in the northern area of ​​the province of Alicante, it was created by the first Neolithic groups that arrived in these lands in the middle of the 6th millennium BC, coming from the Near East. Through the Mediterranean, these groups sailed in canoes, always close to the coast, carrying with them wheat and barley seeds, sheep and goats.

These macro-schematic paintings stand out for their large size and the main images are human figures called "orantes", people with their arms raised as if they were praying. They were painted to achieve the fertility of the fields, animals and women.
The chosen places are rocky shelters, well visible and illuminated by the sun. These areas were not habitat but "sanctuaries" to which the surrounding populations went for religious celebrations, rites of passage, alliances...

Information source: Cave guide Archaeological Museum of Alicante 2018.





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