Exhibition: ‘The Soul of Realism’

Retrospective of the work of painter Pedro Torres Cotarelo.
Provincial Palace of the Alicante Provincial Council.
Avda. Estación, nº 6, Alicante, 03005.

Dates: From 30 July to 31 August.

The Provincial Palace of the Alicante Provincial Council is hosting a retrospective exhibition of the work of Pedro Torres Cotarelo until 31 August. Entitled “The Soul of Realism”, the exhibition brings together 25 pieces created using the technique of oil on wood.

Among the most notable works are a self-portrait of the artist from 1957, in which he pays tribute to his craft as a painter, and a portrait of his mother, Benita Cotarelo Vera, from 1950, which has also been used to illustrate the exhibition catalogue.

Born in Caudete (1921-2004), Pedro Torres Cotarelo had close ties to the province of Alicante. As a child, he showed great interest in art, from drawing to restoration, decoration and painting, which led him to study at the San Fernando Faculty of Fine Arts and hold his first exhibition in 1945.

In Alicante, he became directly involved in the Fogueres de Sant Joan festival and participated in the decoration of monuments alongside other artists from the guild. He also painted portraits of eight presidents of the Alicante Provincial Council, participated in the mural tribute to the poets of sacrifice in the old Alicante prison and taught at the Orihuela School of Arts and Crafts.