Known for his idealised, romanticised scenes of vintage night clubs and tango dance floors, Argentinian artist Fabian Perez coined a specific term to describe his work: neo-emotionalism.
At a glance, it’s easy to see why. Each artwork captures a single moment of what seems to be a rich and complex narrative, with unique and fascinating characters caught in the artist’s gaze for just a second.
Perez’s work has been compared to golden age Hollywood cinema, with its rich chiaroscuro lighting and archetypal characters – seductive ladies of the night, young men out on the town in perfectly tailored suits, couples locked in a tight embrace as they dance a tango or flamenco.
If many of us were honest, this is what we might wish a night out was still like. Perez’s world might be considered a tribute to a bygone era, but if the romance novel market can teach us anything, it’s that a vast number of people still long for a man in a sharply tailored suit or a woman in slinky velvet. Someone who knows how to order good wine, and how to look good drinking it.
Within this wish fulfilment lies the magic of these remarkably popular artworks. By no means immune to his own nostalgia, Perez has often spoken of the inspiration he draws from the world he grew up in – the nightclubs and bordellos that comprised his parents’ employment, and the glimpses he caught of the women and men who lived their fascinating hidden lives within. By recreating his own version of this world, Perez draws his audience into a deeply beautiful fantasy where everyone can be free to pursue their desires, and no-one has heard of a smartphone.
Perez knows more than most about the importance of following your passions; he first saw artistic success when he took the risk of moving from Argentina to Italy, and later took another big step in moving to Japan. His broad experiences of an international lifestyle allowed him to expand his skills, knowledge, and influence, as well as enabling to pursue his personal passions such as martial arts. His appreciation for a life lived outside the lines is never more clear than in the way he draws out the daring and adventurous inner lives of the characters he creates.
The style of Perez’s work is in many ways as classical as his inspiration, with a warm and loose approach to realism that allows him to capture the essence of each character, determining what should be highlighted and what should sink into shadow. Perez generally works in acrylics, as he enjoys a swift process that allows him to paint in the moment, enabling emotion to rise to the surface and flow into the scene. This style has gained Perez huge acclaim over the years. A number of early-career successes saw Perez gaining swift traction in the art world – for example, being honoured with the title of official artist of the 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2009, and being presented with the ATIM Masters Award “Master of the Year” by ArtTour magazine in 2014.
Perez’s increasing prominence as an artist has meant that his original paintings and sketches are now considered highly collectable. This has given rise to a huge demand for both Fabian Perez limited edition prints and originals, with collectors around the globe waiting eagerly for new releases from Perez to add to their collection. When buying Fabian Perez artworks, collectors often find themselves hunting down “the one that got away” on the secondary art market.
Nostalgic and escapist, Fabian Perez’s artworks beckon the viewer into a world that is perhaps more fantasy than history… but it’s for this very reason that his work remains so incredibly popular with both new buyers and die-hard collectors. An evocative, character-driven scene – filled with life and energy, motion, and emotion – has as much a hold over us now as it did in the halcyon days that Perez recalls in his work.
