FRASQUITO RAYMOND GIL URQUIJO
- ARTISTIC HUB MAGAZINE
- Apr 25, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 6
ALGECIRAS, SPAIN | DUBAI, UAE
Vibrant brushstrokes revealing the surreal world of Frasquito Raymond Gil Urquijo
In the glow of colors and stories that brighten life, we invite you to discover the art of Dr. Jose Maria Ropero, known as Frasquito. His works do more than bring canvases to life; they reveal stories born from the vivid maze of his imagination. Get to know the artist and his singular way of seeing both art and life.
Your works are vibrant and full of life. Could you introduce yourself and shed some light on the individual behind these vividly colored pieces?
Frasquito’s father had no background in art. A physician and naval engineer with honors, he built his career as an international consultant. A tireless business traveler, he has lived in many places, including Algeciras, his hometown, as well as Granada, Madrid, London, Brasília, Mexico City, Monterrey, Lagos, Yangon, Prague, and Dubai, the city he now calls home.
Hyperactive, contradictory, unstable, volatile, bipolar, and a reveler, he discovered painting as a hidden passion in his later years. Accustomed to starting things and leaving them unfinished for weeks, months, or even forever, the project of Frasquito became a rare exception.
Having spent much of his life in hotels and on airplanes, he cherishes his close circle of friends, the people who make him laugh, the long flights that help him unwind, the weekends filled with reading, the endless meals that stretch far into the night, and the joyful company of his amusing companions. He is also an expert at recognizing the subtle physical traits of Asian people.
Patience has never been one of his strengths, and this is reflected in the lack of precision in the details of his drawings, often left imperfect or unfinished, which is part of Frasquito’s essence and peculiarity. The artist has always been clear about two things: he does not want any formal drawing training, and he refuses to spend two days working on a single Frasquito, even though some have taken two years to complete. What he truly seeks is to express an idea, no matter how absurd, through a fusion of composition and color.
His limited technique and his pursuit of either simplicity or complexity allow him to create, unintentionally, childish and grotesque faces that reflect his own original vision. The technique is essential, while the execution remains quick and spontaneous. Without focusing on proportion, perspective, or form, his work unfolds freely, liberated from academic constraints, and gains an authenticity that gives each drawing its personality. They are often two-dimensional, a consequence of his disregard for perspective. He never makes preliminary sketches, though he sometimes carefully plans certain pieces.
Frasquito’s art can be seen as conceptual, where the idea itself takes center stage, expressed through the interplay of composition and color, always accompanied by a humorous story. He is unconcerned with technical perfection, knowing that striving for it would strip the work of its naïve, personal, and peculiar spirit.
Frasquito shares more with his father and creator than one might expect. They both love gastronomy, Florida, Andalusia, gourmet canned food, goats, flamenco, and Albano and Romina Power, especially the latter, fifty years ago.
Please, share with us more about your artistic journey. Could you recount some pivotal moments or inspirations that have shaped your career thus far?
I spent most of my life behaving like the sheep I was raised to be, shaped by the traditional education that existed in Spain during the eighties. Only a few years ago, after earning a PhD with honors and building a more or less successful professional career, I decided to let myself go and follow whatever I felt drawn to, such as painting. My memories are therefore still very fresh. I have always loved drawing but never gave it a real chance, partly because of my natural inability for it and because I never wanted to take classes. I believe that formal lessons can distort one’s ideas or shift too much focus toward technique. I know nothing about art or anything that even resembles it.
I have always been instinctively drawn to naïve painting, perhaps because I saw in it a reflection of my own lack of drawing skills. I was also fascinated by George Condo’s drawings, Rousseau’s jungles, rhino sketches for children, and even small clay animal figures found in nurseries.
The moment that truly awakened my long-dormant interest in drawing came entirely by chance. During a tiring four-hour visit to the National Gallery in Budapest, I stumbled upon five small and simple drawings by a mediocre Hungarian painter named Gyulia Czimra. I found them in the smallest room on the fourth floor, almost hidden behind a door, just as I was looking for a chair to rest. Their simplicity and beauty stopped me in my tracks. I had painted a few small things before, but from that moment on, I began to draw with fascination for that same simplicity and beauty. The Frasquito series was born from that experience, growing richer as new ideas appeared, filtered through my own surreal way of seeing, until they came to represent multiple stories within a single two-dimensional drawing.
How would you describe your unique artistic style in three words, and what inspires you to continue creating?
Joyful, colorful and tragicomic. I’m inspired by anything anywhere.
Anything and anywhere can spark Frasquito’s creativity. His work is deeply influenced by his life, his Andalusian roots, and a culture where people face drama with laughter. His art carries the flavor of his experiences and the rhythm of his constant travels, where he tries to make the most of every moment. Ideas can appear at any time, in any place, and for any reason.
Sometimes I revisit my favorite galleries, usually those found in hotels or airports, although these visits only help me capture a single detail or element. An idea can lie dormant for days or months, mature in thirty seconds, or fade away completely. Any small trigger can bring it back to life, but it has to evolve until it becomes ridiculous enough to convince me. At other times, ideas are born directly as drawings.
The process of ideation is highly diverse and usually very brief. Some good ideas disappear simply because I do not record or remember them well enough to develop them, or because I do not feel like drawing at that moment, or even because I have run out of a color needed for the composition and stop working altogether. Once an idea feels mature enough, ridiculous enough, Frasquito particularly enjoys the planning stage when it happens.
Ideas arise through what Horace Walpole once called the principle of serendipity, understood as the accidental discovery of something that was never sought. In his own words, it is the ability or the act of finding something different from what we were pursuing, of welcoming with openness and insight whatever chance, always so eloquent, may suggest to us, ready to change our minds completely. A necessary condition for an idea to become a drawing is that it must be enriched with surreal, ridiculous, and absurd touches.
Each of your works carries a narrative. Would you be willing to share with our readers the story behind one of your most striking pieces?
There are only a few drawings that can truly illustrate Frasquito’s creative process, such as Frasquito’s Mum Singing a Saeta in Cartagena de Indias. However, I would like to mention the story behind The New Denture of My Cousin Adela, the One from Carmona, which was exhibited in Milan. Reusing the words of curator Cecilia Bambrilla:
“Frasquito’s painting was born from a series of stories titled Frasquito Family, a fantastic narrative centered on the unique character Don Frasquito Raymond Gil Urquijo, a fictional figure born in Lower Andalusia at the beginning of the twentieth century. In La nueva dentadura postiza de mi prima Adela la de Carmona, we encounter the story of Adela, a woman recovering in a hospital who had been eating only purées and soft food after a severe case of pyorrhea caused the loss of twenty-six teeth. The portrait represents Frasquito’s cousin weakened in her new body, trying to experience her new skin as a new home.
The portrait is created in a simple and spontaneous manner. The lines are elementary, the colors evoke childhood, while the intention recalls surrealism and the motifs of cubism. The image is two-dimensional, yet it effectively portrays a woman deprived of her physical self. In fact, Adela’s portrait belongs to the Frasquito Family series, which tells viewers about specific moments and details from Frasquito’s life, including his immediate family, relatives, acquaintances, and anyone who happened to cross his path.
This is what the series represents: a surreal life, filled with celebration, humor, color, lifestyle, Andalusia, and the endless places where life may take us, still to be written in Frasquito’s case. Most of the artworks are in A4 format, created with colored pencils on paper and collage. As this remarkable drawing shows, the artist is a visionary, a storyteller, and a painter capable of capturing on paper the essence of life itself, preserving stories and moments as relics of a parallel reality that is full of vitality, surprises, and emotion.
How do you perceive your impact on the audience through your works? Are there specific reactions or emotions you aim to evoke in the viewer?
Sometimes the artist wants to share a story connected to his personal likes or dislikes, sometimes simply a ridiculous situation, and at other times just a fleeting thought. Frasquito’s artworks are not meant to raise profound questions or evoke deep reflection; they intentionally stay on the surface. His art unfolds as a continuous tragicomedy, where laughter and bitterness coexist in subtle balance, a duality that the perceptive viewer immediately recognizes. Many of Frasquito’s drawings offer what he calls a “sad laugh.”
Looking ahead, how do you envision the evolution of your artistry? Is there something new you wish to explore or incorporate into your work? What are your future plans in this regard?
I see a second pivotal moment in my artistic journey, a stage where I feel the need to create larger paintings that still carry Frasquito’s personality and distinctive touch, focusing on mixed media on fabric.
When I first started, my drawings were usually small and simple, often in A4 format, alternating with slightly larger works in oil on canvas and mixed media. Later, I began to concentrate on large-scale paintings, some reaching up to 240 by 120 centimeters on wood. Now I feel drawn to focus on medium-sized works, around 120 by 100 centimeters, on canvas or fabric mounted on wood. I believe I am once again at a turning point, as I am ready to move away from small drawings and dedicate myself fully to medium and large formats.
As for ideas, I do not expect any deliberate evolution or conscious search for change. The story of Frasquito’s life remains the foundation of all my work, and it will continue to evolve naturally through themes that interest or inspire me. New subjects will become part of the Frasquito series, such as his favorite operas, the fascinating history of the Spanish Empire, and the long-overlooked Spanish influence in the United States, all portrayed with the same absurd and playful tone that defines Frasquito. I also include any subject that captures my attention, as part of my creative process, just as it recently happened with Mr. Michael Chow, a remarkable figure I discovered by chance while watching a documentary during a flight.
This year, my clear goal is to finish the first book about Frasquito’s story, with the intention of raising charity funds in my hometown, Algeciras. After that, I plan to focus on exhibiting my work in galleries, mainly in Dubai, where I live, as well as in South Asia. I also intend to apply to Art Dubai 2025 as a platform to move forward.
And so, colors turn into words, and the canvas begins to speak. Frasquito reminds us that art is not only a visual experience but also a way to discover connection and inspiration in every brushstroke. May his work continue to shine as a light that leads us toward the endless spectrum of colors, layers, and stories still waiting to be told.
For more information about Frasquito’s artworks or to get in touch with the artist, please visit his Instagram profile.
