The Superb Master Of Suspense: Dramatic Lighting And Witty Narratives In Graphite by Carlos Fdez

Carlos Fdez is a self-taught Spanish draftsman based in Spain, born in Madrid in 1980, who specializes in highly detailed, dark, and meticulously rendered graphite drawings.

Although he took some illustration and comic courses, he didn’t fully dedicate himself to drawing until he was around 30, choosing graphite because he finds wet mediums stressful and appreciates the slow, relaxing control of pencil work.

His artworks often intertwine human and animal kingdoms to create witty, psychological, and sometimes unsettling narratives. These visual stories act as metaphors for the internal and external struggles between the natural and civilized worlds, nodding to Freudian theories of the ego, superego, and id, while using dramatic lighting to elicit emotions like anxiety and suspense. He has had multiple solo exhibitions at Haven Gallery in New York, including “Lines of Chaos” (2020) and “Suspense” (2022).

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