Mauricio Quirante, born in 1976 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a contemporary painter and illustrator residing in Caldwell, Idaho. He is renowned for his figurative and surreal landscapes of gothic nature, as well as his black and white illustrations, which employ a technique involving India Ink, Pencil, Acrylics, and occasionally Pastel. Quirante’s artwork delves into the inherent internal study of oneself by creating characters who are immersed on the same path.
“I initiated MEQ as a way for me to explore the things inside me that are strong enough to come to the surface so I can paint and make illustrations of them. That is the main reason why I create art. I have always seen my work as an archaeological find that has been devoured by time, transformed from what once was, and I, the person who finds them, removes the dirt, uses the brush to reveal what is underneath, so the light can reclaim it back.”
There are philosophical issues around these works that allow me to carry on with the search. Some are clear, others not, but that is what makes the journey worth it. When I started with my ink work, I definitely had a narrative, a story to tell if you will, and that is easy to see. The first five collections are completely devoted to it.
Then my work started to navigate differently once the brush was found. Color invaded places in my mind with new ideas, projects that were not based on a narrative, but rather composed by establishing a certain ambition of thought that would allow me a place of serenity, peace, and tranquility, a place where I can remain calm.
So no, I don’t explore art for the sake of art. I explore art to dig, uncover, and look through the cracks so that I may be able to learn more from the man behind the brush, behind the pen. If there is one thing for sure, it’s that anything I have ever created under the idea of discovery has helped a bit on my never-ending quest.