Gonhdo, the artist from Madrid who is taking China by storm with his traditional drawings: chulapos, violets, chestnuts and squid sandwiches

The

is the essence of his painting.

There is not a painting of his where this symbol of

does not appear, larger or smaller, always hidden among other treasures of this great city.

Entertaining the viewer looking for him, like Wally, is a game that amuses him.

(Madrid, 1988), better known as

, has made it his personal stamp.

Along with

, recreated in tiny pop drawings captured on gigantic canvases, this artist is putting the capital, its lifestyle and gastronomy, on the map.

From Madrid to heaven, they say.

, we say, because

.

And it just started.

The Cibeles Palace, the Schweppes Building, Atocha, the Royal Palace or the España Building have starred in some of his paintings, where other “basics” can also be seen on a small scale:

, the Moncloa Lighthouse, the Piruli, the street organ from Madrid, the chestnuts... Be patient, yes, because his works are not designed to be looked at for just a few minutes, but rather to spend hours

that he recreates in them with his acrylic markers.

The anecdotes are not lacking either.

«

.

Or that skydiver who got trapped in a lamppost in the Hispanidad parade.

And Carlos III at the Puerta de Alcalá », he remembers with amusement, because his canvases, made up of more than 100 drawings, tell stories.

Stories of Madrid.

Another of Gonhdo's works, with the Edificio España as the protagonist.

"It's what I like to paint the most," he says.

«I love moving Madrid to all parts of the world.

It is the city that has seen me born, where I have enjoyed myself, danced, fallen in love... It is my way of paying it back.

», She adds.

His work is inspired by the legacy left by

, whom he met during his stay in New York while studying.

and

culture

».

Also in the Latin American art of

, which he appreciated during the time he lived in Mexico.

«He is an impressive muralist.

I loved that influence and that grandeur that his works have ».

Although for great... his story.

She never trained in Fine Arts.

.

As a child he had touched the brushes encouraged by his grandfather, an amateur painter.

Only the degree in

, and those very strict drawing classes at the Polytechnic, gave him a push that has been key to getting where he is today.

"I started by chance

," says the artist.

«I rented a house in the center of Madrid, with gigantic walls.

I painted a picture of two meters by two meters and hung it.

All my friends were asking me where I bought it.

When I told them that I had painted it,

.

But he never did.

With the pandemic, my company [I worked as an architect] entered ERTE and I had that time that I always lacked.

My first sale in April 2021, to the client of an architect friend, appeared in AD magazine.

That's where the

began », he relates.

Gonhdo, next to one of his works.

After that, national fairs such as Estampa, Feriarte, Almoneda came... «Shortly after, a Swedish gallery contacted me, MDA Galleri».

In December of that same year, his first exhibition arrived in Madrid, at the María Porto Gallery.

Nine months later, he jumped to

.

They contacted him to exhibit at Fashion Week there, in a showroom market, to which he will return this February.

And a month later, he exhibited in

.

«

.

They love my paintings, they are crazy about them », points out this contemporary artist, who extends his work to the cities he visits.

Always using architectural elements, he has drawn

.

Although his personalized paintings are also a "best seller".

«People tell me her story and I paint it for them.

I recreate where they were born, their anecdotes, where they have fallen in love, where they have traveled, what they like... They are very funny.

In its day it was a

as wedding gifts.

Now, since the prices have risen... », she indicates.

In barely two years he has painted more than 150 large paintings and, of all of them, 140 are no longer in his possession.

, taking Madrid to the United Kingdom, China, Mexico, France, the USA, Denmark, South Africa, the Philippines... And it has a waiting list of about 30.

The Palacio de Cibeles, surrounded by other symbols of Madrid.

He savors success, although he does not lose his way.

she says consciously.

«I invest a lot in trips and exhibitions.

There have been months that I have painted and I have not entered anything... I am learning », she tells with humor, because she always floats.

His dream is that everyone is happy seeing his paintings.

«

.

What I want to convey is happiness, because we come from cloudy years.

I love to give joy and for this I want to transmit our culture, which is wonderful.

, "says the artist, very much in line with that idea that Madrid is selling these days at Fitur.

He can now be seen (until January 30) at Aleseide Gallery.

And there are permanent works of his in MDA Gallery (Sweden), in Caelis Gallery (China) and in Artelandia (Madrid).

,” says Gohndo.

Although, for now, he would be satisfied with "exhibiting in some space in the Community of Madrid."

There goes the direct from him.

There will be more.

You don't get off this car.

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