Spanish artist Javier Calleja has been creating “Big Eyes” oil paintings since 2017, making this innocent and pure little boy character popular worldwide. In addition to seeing his works at major international auctions, his exhibitions in galleries continue. Recently, the gallery Almine Rech in Paris held a solo exhibition for the artist titled “This Is Your Lucky Day,” showcasing a series of adorable boy-themed sketches and oil paintings.
The underground exhibition space showcases Calleja’s sketches created in his studio on the outskirts of Malaga. These casual sketches are filled with big-eyed characters, text, frame concepts, and even different visual elements such as pattern designs. In fact, these are all his original manuscripts, and the patterns in them may be extended into large oil paintings, fashion designs, sculpture works, etc., showcasing the initial process of his creation.
Through these rough character sketches, the artist experiments with the combination of facial shapes, hairstyles, and eyes to create more interesting and memorable characters. These sketches gathered from the Calleja studio reveal the artist’s simple yet hopeful imagery foundation, leading the audience deeper into their creative journey.
The exhibition, themed “This is Your Lucky Day,” showcases five new colorful paintings on the first floor, with vibrant colors filling the space with vitality. The artist uses custom-made antique-style frames, continuing their interest in playing with proportions and adding a playful touch to the display of the paintings.
The artist adds text to the characters’ clothing, such as “Best Day Ever”, “This Is Your Lucky Day”, and “Tea Time”, cleverly paying homage to Parisian culture.
“This Is Your Lucky Day”
Date: From now until June 25
Location: 18 avenue Matignon 75008 Paris FR
Image source and learn more: Almine Rech
