Destiny I

This painting oozes with longing. The two lovers, separated by space and time, reach for one another as their souls embrace in the middle. There's such passion in that embrace, their muscles accentuated by Mateu's geometric painting style. Enveloped and collapsing into her forbidden lover's arms, the woman surrenders as her hair cascades into a dark abyss — a foreshadowing of where she's headed if she cannot break the chains around her wrists.

In this surreal dimension that Mateu has created for us, we see the swirling vortex of space. Maybe it's a wormhole that allows the lovers to be together for an instant, maybe it's a sign that they're star-crossed (literally across galaxies from one another), maybe it's a reminder that their bond is beyond our realm.

The blue plinths jutting out of the abyss prominently display the story of these lovers, connected by specific tarot cards. One of the most noticeable is the Ace of Cups — symbolic of deep feelings, compassion, intimacy, and finding the heart of the matter. Further back, we see the Four of Swords — a withdrawal, a time for turning inward and transforming, like a butterfly. Clearly, Mateu left these as Easter Eggs for us to understand the story on a deeper level.

All of this is enough to grab someone's attention, but it's the way in which Mateu painted it that leaves me breathless. The hard lines and contouring add so much depth and texture, but in unexpected ways that are at once familiar and new.

I groped around for a long time deciding how to explain this painting. I decided to explain the story I saw playing out in my head while I stared at it, but when it comes to the description of how the artistry moves me... I'm just speechless.