Mid-Century Stylised Female Portraits – Pair of Oil Paintings by Lleo

Description

Painting 1 (613.5 cm x 54 cm (white frame):
This vibrant oil on canvas from 1973 presents a stylised female figure in a contemplative pose, surrounded by a geometric and textural interplay of magenta, purple, turquoise, and hints of emerald. Her downcast eyes and the delicate red-orange flower she holds suggest a quiet, introspective mood. Signed "Lleo" in the lower left corner, the painting showcases fluid modernist brushwork and a soft-edged layering of abstract forms. The visual balance between figuration and pattern reveals the artist’s sensitivity to emotional tone and composition. Framed in a pale wooden surround, it exudes the bold, poetic sensibility of 1970s Spanish expressionism.

Painting 2 (71 x 62 cm including frame):
The second portrait, also dated 1973 and signed by Lleo, features a woman in profile, rendered in rich tones of burnt sienna, amber, violet, and crimson. The stylised hand delicately holds a bloom, mirrored by the surrounding floral abstractions that glow from a darkened background. Soft brushstrokes dissolve the boundaries between subject and environment, drawing the viewer into a meditative, almost ethereal atmosphere. This work exemplifies mid-century Spanish modernism, with its subtle luminosity and expressive use of color. It is framed in a warm-toned wood frame that complements the palette’s depth and elegance.

Artist
Lleo (active mid-20th century) is known for richly colored, emotive portraits in the modernist tradition.

Artist Details
Little is documented about Lleo’s biography, yet the works strongly reflect the Spanish modernist tradition of the early 1970s, when many artists explored introspective figuration and abstraction. Lleo’s use of bold color fields, diffused lighting, and gestural brushwork are signature elements that situate these paintings among the emotionally driven figurative styles of the postwar period. The pairing of the portraits underscores the artist’s fascination with quiet emotional states and symbolic elements.

Movements
Spanish Modernism

Artist Influenced by
Influenced by the work of Modest Cuixart, Antoni Clavé, and the post-symbolist elements of Odilon Redon.

Frame Condition
Both paintings are presented in solid wood frames. One is light-toned, the other medium-toned, each with light vintage wear that complements the artworks' era and character.