Marcos Isamat

Marcos Isamat holds a degree in Biology from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Cambridge. Until 2003, he worked as a researcher at prestigious scientific institutions such as the Medical Research Council in Cambridge, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Montpellier and Paris, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. However, his journey in drawing and painting began before his scientific studies. From an early age, Isamat showed his artistic talent: he was a precocious drawer, a poster designer for university theatre, and an illustrator for various publications. In 1991, he held his first exhibition, focused on the decaying departmental museums of the University of Cambridge, at the Cambridge City Council. His work has been exhibited in galleries and foundations in various Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, as well as at international art fairs across Europe. His artistic output includes landscapes, portraits, objects, and nature, from which he extracts patterns and symmetries inspired by elements such as freshly cut wheat, pine needles, or the texture of bark, positioning his work between figuration and abstraction. Among his projects, notable highlights include the creation of the 3D paper Meninas for the Museo del Prado, his collaboration as a portraitist in the RTVE documentary “Jaime Gil de Biedma: Portrait of a Poet,” and illustrating children’s and adult books for various publishers. Marcos has been working with pencil on paper for over 30 years. “My drawings are usually a synthesis of something observed in detail: an object or landscape seen for a long time, enough to reimagine its dimensions, textures, and movements, maintaining scale whenever possible and avoiding embellishments. I look for geometries, symmetries, perspectives, or movements that define the object, to offer a calm and intimate vision. It is a personal way of looking at everyday images, avoiding the spectacular and seeking their essence, the minimal unit that identifies it. The different shades of gray provided by the pencil are key in this search, as graphite on paper offers exactly what this reductionism requires.” Isamat uses pencils ranging from 6B to 4H, and the result also depends on the porosity and grain of the paper, which modulates the graphite. He works on archival or handmade paper, combining hard and soft pencils to press the graphite into the cellulose and create a varnish-like effect. He enhances reflections by erasing, leaving only the memory of the graphite. He seeks glazing in deep blacks by applying graphite powder obtained from sharpening the pencil, achieving finishes reminiscent of slate or iron. He champions the creative power of graphite in a world saturated with color.