ALEJANDRA MARROQUÍN / ARTIST
“My sister refuses to share her clothes with me” says Alejandra Marroquín, @a.corot on social media (the reason why she uses this handle is explained below). With that statement she sums up her character and painting style. “I like everything that is palpable, being messy, experimenting”, a contrast with the perfectionist line that she saw in her sister. Despite having a great relationship with each other, the barrier between the tidiness of one and the cluttered of the other is reflected in her closet battles “For me, the whole exploratory part of painting is its purest essence, trial and error”.
Born in Alicante but currently living and studying in Madrid, Alejandra represents a love and dedication for handmade work that is very rare in younger generations. "It's a bit frustrating, since everything is so digital, many times material worth is devalued because it is believed that everyone can do something with their hands."
She has been painting and attending art schools from a very young age. Artistry came first as a hobby until she moved to Madrid. “When I came here it was like a turning point, I always loved painting, but I didn't know if I was willing to take risks and invest all that time, I didn't know if I really liked it that much”.
She is obsessed with Vincent Van Gogh and has been investigating his work and life for years. She wondered how a painter she idolized so much could be influenced by another that she didn't really mind, Camille Corot.
Sprouting from that very thought, and as a consequence of this new stage in her life, she thought it would be better to use this nickname to launch her project. "It's a bit of a way of thanking the influence that Van Gogh has had on me, appreciating the influence that Corot had on him." Now, she says, everyone thinks her last name is Corot.
Already in Madrid, determined to try her luck with painting, she found a studio that felt like home. "I liked it so much and it gave me so much confidence that I knew I didn't want to look any further".
Despite being a shared studio with other artists, she says that she has found a confidence that she did not have before to show unfinished pieces without fear of external judgement. "There is great respect between everyone, and being able to share these intimacies is incredible."
Immersed in the evolution of her technique, a very personal process and centred around texture, Alejandra tells stories about her greatest inspiration, being the people and things that surround her, widely represented in her work. "I could paint on anything, but painting on things around me really catches my attention, my friend's hand, Saturday lunch...".
Even without denying digital breakthrough and all it can contribute to painting, she believes that nothing is comparable to the experience of standing in front of a physical oil painting and all that it entails. "The smell, the touch of the brush with the canvas, are essential things for painting." Without all these elements, the history of painting, her beloved Van Gogh and her own work, would not be the same.
