Cycle of frescoes of the Nª Señora del Pilar Chapel

(Fayón, Spain)

In 2005, together with Juan Baldellou and his son Héctor Baldellou, directed by the painter Maria Pilar Burges, we painted the 70m2 fresco on the side walls of the chapel, concluding a decoration interrupted in the 50s.

The chapel is located in a privileged place, at the top of the Ribaroja reservoir. It has spectacular views, as well as a powerful historical past, since before being flooded by the reservoir, that stretch of the Ebro lived the episode of one of the final battles of the Spanish Civil War.

North Wall, painted in 2005

The commission was based on finishing the two side walls that had been left unfinished, painting a marial procession, and following the style, composition and color of the preceding one to complete it in a harmonious way.

Presbytery painted in 1954 and side walls in 2005

During our 3-month stay in the village, we lived with and portrayed its neighbors, first individually, and then we made the preparatory drawings, adding portraits of old photos that the neighbors had provided us, creating a timeless vision of its inhabitants for two or three generations.

Making the preliminary drawings for the fresco painting.

Then a first coat of lime and sand was applied to obtain adherence on the wall. Then the last layer of pure lime plaster, which gave us at that time of the year, about 6 hours to work on it before it dried.

The paintings were inaugurated and blessed by the Archbishop of Zaragoza on October 14, 2006.