Willy Ramos: Color as Temperament — 'Luz y color' at the Vanrell Gallery

Willy Ramos: Color as Temperament — 'Luz y color' at the Vanrell Gallery

Drawing as foundation, color as language: until July 27 in Palma's Tous i Maroto

If you stroll down Tous i Maroto on a clear morning, the honking of buses mixes with the rhythmic clatter of coffee services on the terraces. In these few, perpetually sunny meters in central Palma, the Galería Vanrell has opened a small but energetic show: 'Luz y color' by the Colombian painter Willy Ramos.

Ramos, born in 1954, lives and works in Valencia, where he spent decades teaching drawing at the Faculty of Fine Arts and completed his studies up to a doctorate. The solid craft is palpable in his paintings: the exhibition shows ten larger oil paintings, flanked by smaller works in Chinese ink and watercolor. Anyone who enters the rooms immediately notices what the gallerist points out: color takes center stage.

The works breathe influences of Expressionism and Fauvism without clinging to them in a didactic way. Instead they read like spontaneous translations of mood and observation. Ramos apparently does not approach the canvas with a finished plan; sketches are the starting point, but decisions are made only 'during the painting', which describes his working method: a back-and-forth between impulse and control. The paintings often begin with vigorous energy; later they withdraw and become calmer — like a conversation that loses volume but gains depth.

Technically, oils dominate; the brushstrokes vary between dense impasto and translucent glazes. In the smaller ink and watercolor works another side appears: more economical means, concentrated lines, and greater breathing room. Those familiar with photos from earlier shows may also remember painted iron objects that Ramos occasionally presented. In Palma the focus this time is on painting.

For Mallorca, such an exhibition is more than a cultural morsel: it brings a warm, South American palette into the tight Mediterranean urban fabric, echoing other island exhibitions such as Joan Miró takes Palma by storm: A summer of color, form and island magic.

Especially in the months when the island is again full of voices and tourist traffic, such exhibitions offer places to pause, even amid weekend events like Porto Pi as an Open Studio: A Weekend of Color, Sound and Neighbors. Those who linger after viewing the large, coloristic surfaces might hear church bells and the distant roar of boats in the harbor — a combination in which color and island sounds seem to correspond.

A small tip for visitors: the gallery is located so that a walk through the old town is convenient. If you take a sketchbook before or after the visit, you can start your own color experiment on a bench along the Passeig or in the shade of the Plaça. Ramos’ works show that painting is often less an exact depiction than a conveyor of mood — something you can try yourself without academic pressure.

Practical: The exhibition runs until July 27. The rooms of the Galería Vanrell are compact, creating an immediate intimacy with the works. The visit does not take long but requires a certain slowness: stand, 'read' the colors, and allow yourself to engage with the temperament of the paintings. For the local scene — as with Joan Aguiló: Portraits, Walls and the Real Mallorca — this is a small reminder that international perspectives and hands-on experience converge here.

To conclude, a small observation from the street café in front of the gallery: while locals sip a quick cortado, some tourists stand in front of a painting longer than one would expect in a typical gallery. Color apparently has the power to briefly slow people down — and that may be exactly what Palma needs on a hot day.

WHEN: Until July 27. WHERE: Galería Vanrell, Carrer Tous i Maroto, Palma. WHAT: Ten oil paintings, supplementary ink and watercolor works; focus on color and drawn structure.