By Mauro Bruni

Considered as the most influential European artist of his genre, Luis Royo returns to Lucca Comics & Games with an exhibition in Palazzo Ducale dedicated to his fantastic art. The nature of his works is fantastic and erotic, and those have made him one of the most important contemporary artists in his field. He has exhibited in numerous shows and his books have become reference points for many subsequent artists; in 2016 he left his handprint for the Walk of Fame at Lucca Comics & Games. In the path of his extraordinary career, however, cannot be missed the work done together with his son Romulo, one of the most crystalline talents among contemporary artists. Two generations in comparison that come together to create a single image using the most loved techniques by each of the two artists. The expressiveness of the women warriors and the visionary futuristic cities merge with the architecture of the Ammannati Gallery, a communion of techniques and visions that will amaze visitors to the exhibition dedicated to the Royos.

A recent series of paintings inspired by the works of Goya dominates their exhibition at Lucca Comics & Games.

As they explain in the two-voice interview published in the Exhibition Artbook: "The project paying homage to Goya was inspired by several factors. Fantasy imagery is a constant in the works of both of them, and Goya is a great and illustrious pillar in the history of art. He is absolutely fascinating to us. His depictions of witches and monsters, and the vaporous character in many of his most personal works, are a magnet, because we have always approached these elements with a different perspective. There is also the coincidence that we were born in the same land, Aragon, which is characterised by a constant aridity and harshness that has been with us for centuries, and which shapes our character and outlook. On the other hand, the moment we collaborated and dissolved (...) the walls separating illustration from painting, we find this same overcoming in Goya, as he too ranged from drawings to engravings, from detailed paintings to expressive and gestural ones. This makes him a genius of reference, a master who even in his own time did not limit his art to a single direction. Working on his work in a long project is almost a duty for us."

The authors will be guests at Lucca Comics & Games 2023.

Venue: Palazzo Ducale - Lucca