Guillermo Pérez Villalta
Guillermo Pérez Villalta (born in 1948) is a Spanish artist. He was a member of the New Figuration movement in Madrid in the 1970s. Above is The Room, 1982-83, a self-portrait with Villalta as both the artist at right and the model at left. The two figures painted on the wall, one of whom is holding a crown of thorns over the naked model, are also Villalta, so the work is really a quadruple self-portrait.
Villalta's work features a lot of geometric architectural designs, as well as a lot of naked men. We'll concentrate on the men. Above, Los Tintoretos (The Dyers), 1988.
Dos Mujeres Contemplando a Dos Hombres (Two Women Contemplating Two Men), 1995.
Los Baños (The Baths), 1993.
There is a Catholic influence in his works, although it doesn't always come out in traditional ways. Above, Ofrenda (Offering), 1992.
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But what about the guy in this untitled painting? Is he Jesus? Is he a saint? He has a halo, but he's naked. --- Update: as a reader pointed out, the staff with a pine cone is associated with the Greek god Dionysus, which this probably represents. A weird mixture of pagan and Christian (the halo) iconography.
Some of Villalta's work is surrealist. Above, Reason, 1993.
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And look at this figure whose penis has sprouted into a tree, or maybe it's a grape vine. Talk about being fruitful!
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Some of Villalta's work, particularly his drawings, combine fantasy and eroticism, like this 1988 drawing of a man and a cock-beast.
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And look at this 1998 drawing of two men. I couldn't find any biographical info about Villalta, but I would say he's gay.
We end with this 1991 painting El Instante Preciso (The Precise Instant). What does it mean? I don't know, but ...
another artist liked it so much, he copied it and made this life-size sculpture in 2002 that now sits atop the City Hall in Grenada, Spain.
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I like these works. Is he still alive?
@ Big Dude searches show that he is. Dude is greyer and balder than most of these images except the second to the last one (spiderman sixty nine), and in RL photos he doesn't stand properly.
It takes a great deal of precision to go down that winding path blindfolded holding a ball open handed without it falling off from the jouncing. And then dressaging your horse to be on top of two balls like that because they would not like to do that otherwise. The rider would fall off if the horse weren't applying pressure on this off side, but still there'd be a balance issue for the rider much less keeping his dick straight on like that.
Interesting work.
I’d guess the saint is John the Baptist. The tree-guys painting is an example of “the tree of Jesse,” showing Jesus’ family tree as a descendant of David, son of Jesse. Most representations show the tree coming up from the general area, but not so clearly as a penis. But the concept of a whole family descent being the fruit of the ancestor’s loins is always there, no matter how coy or explicit the presentation.
Pérez Villalta is still alive. He resides in Tarifa (Cádiz). He was a member of the Madrid Movida. And - of course - he is gay.
I think the guy with the grapevine is Noah after he got drunk and passed out completely naked.
Guillermo Pérez Villalta: 12 may 1948, in Tarifa, province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain.
here and here a double tribute
The untitled figure is likely the god Dionysos. He's holding a staff with a pine cone on top. which is a major symbol of the god's cult. The flowing locks and bears also fit. The halo, I imagine, is an indicator of divinity, not sainthood. (Trust me, I taught classical mythology in college for 40 years.)
@WickedHamster - You're right; the staff with the pine cone indicates Dionysus. Thank you. I have updated the caption in the post.
Oh the Phalus!!
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