Maite Bäckman

Since I started my art studies, I've always been attracted to the representation of nature more than to the human figure. At first, I didn’t understand very well why. Later on, little by little, I have understood the origin of that need.

The protagonists of my paintings are usually plants or flowers that grow in places of passage, yards or streets, where nobody pays attention to them. They are taken for granted, adorn our environment but do not go beyond. Rescuing them from their anonymity gives them the importance that I think they should have. A simple flower is no less wonderful than we are.

In my paintings, I place these plants in a humanized context, surrounded by fabrics or plastics. In this way, I speak of the submission of nature by the human being. In turn, the photographic quality of my painting speaks of technology; I am interested in the plant being seen through a lens. In spite of this submission, of its fatigue, colors shine and beauty is present. A powerful light – sunlight, which shines the same for all of us – traverses leaves and stems, revealing textures and nuances.

With respect to my pictorial technique, my great source of inspiration has always been Velázquez. While growing up in Madrid, I had the opportunity to visit the Prado Museum many times. I have always admired his ability to make the act of painting seem so simple and fluid, to put, with the minimum effort, the right brushstroke in the right place. That's what I aspire to every time I pick up a brush. I know I have a long way to go, but if I stopped learning, the act of painting would lose all its meaning.