Teran

TERÁN (Chile, 1974).
"Open your eyes", 2022.
Oil, acrylic and graphite on board.
Signed in the lower right corner. Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Measurements: 80 x 100 cm; 90 x 110 cm (frame).
The painting by Chilean artist Terán is an artistic interpretation of a still from the iconic film Abre los ojos (1997) by Alejandro Amenábar. The work accurately recreates the atmosphere of the film, fusing realism with an almost documentary-like aesthetic that captures the filming process in the middle of Madrid's Gran Vía.
The scene is dominated by a perspective view of the Gran Vía, with its classical architecture and the imposing presence of the Carrión Building in the background. The image is developed in a monochromatic tonality, which accentuates the drama and the sense of timelessness, as well as evoking the essence of black and white cinema. The cinematic elements, such as the production lights and the security tapes on the floor, underscore the painting's meta-narrative: it not only depicts a scene from Abre los ojos, but also reveals the process behind the creation of that scene. Terán plays with the duality between fiction and reality, a central theme in Amenábar's film, and manages to convey the sensation of an empty, almost dreamlike Madrid, as in the film's famous sequence.
The choice of black and white, together with the artist's detailed and precise technique, endows the work with a nostalgic and reflective quality, making the viewer question the limits between cinema, painting and collective visual memory.
Manuel Terán is a Chilean artist living in Spain. With a degree in Fine Arts, Manuel Terán has developed his creative work in the field of visual arts and new technologies applied to art. Since he became known in 1995 at the Salón de Otoño del Círculo de Bellas Artes in Santiago de Chile, he has held solo exhibitions and participated in group shows and fairs in Latin America and Europe. He has received awards such as the Real Academia de San Carlos de Valencia (2004).