Biografía / Biographical information

Datos biográficos

1953 Toledo.

   Entre 1974 y 1979 realiza estudios en la Facultad de Bellas Artes de Madrid.    Participa en diferentes proyectos y talleres de pintura, escultura y grabado.    Terminados los estudios se traslada a vivir a la Comarca del Valle del Tietar, al sur de Gredos, Ávila.

Entre valles y ríos recrea sus paisajes impregnados de la luz cálida y colores exuberantes de este rincón de la geografía Española.    Aquí, en este extraordinario entorno desarrolla sus trabajos en sus dos vertientes: Paisajes Impresionista-Expresionista colorista. Utiliza como medio la pintura al óleo.   Pertenece a el Grupo Canati, creado en 1991 con motivo de una exposición entorno a el paisaje como tema central en Madrid.


· Su obra se encuentra fundamentalmente en instituciones y colecciones privadas de España, Francia, Alemania, Reino Unido, Portugal, CHina, Argentina y Estados Unidos.

· Está representado en el   " Diccionario de Pintores y Escultores Españoles del Siglo XX". Artistas españoles del siglo XXI. ( Ediciones Ecuador )

Biographical information

He was born 1953 in Toledo.

At the age of 19 he prepares himself in stain drawing (adding color to give body and light to the work) for the entrance examination of the Faculty of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. In order to prepare for this exam he enrolls in the school of Arts and Artistic Crafts, located in Marqués de Cubas Street in Madrid, for the 1972-73 course. In 1974 he enrolls in the San Fernando School of Fine Arts. During his years of study he takes part in several projects and workshops which expand his vision and concept of art. He also makes several trips to Paris in order to contemplate and study morer closely the Impressionist artists.

When he completes his studies in Fine Arts, he decides to leave Madrid and moves to the region of the “Valle del Tietar” in the southern part of the Gredos mountain-range, in the province of Avila. In this lovely area, surrounded by mountains, rivers and valleys, he takes great delight in painting landscapes, which he fills with the warm light and the exhuberant colors of this corner of the Spanish countryside.

It is there, in that extraordinary environment, where he develops his works in two well-defined styles: one is his oil paintings of landscapes in the Impressionist-colorist style and the other that Gabriel develops is his acrilic compositions , flat or bidimensional, using geometrical forms and symbols or signs that situate the spectator in a different concept of his landscapes. These two forms or concepts complement and nourish each other.

Casarrubios has belonged to the Grupo Canati since it was formed in 1991, when it was established to commemorate an exposition that had landscapes as its central theme and was held in Madrid.

Exhibtions and Competitions:

1974 – 2nd prize in landscapes of Teruel, Spain. 1978 – 2nd prize in drawing in the city of Senia, in the province of Tarragona. Spain. 1979 – Exhibition and competition in the Circle of Fine Arts of Madrid. 1980 – Exhibition in the “Sala Galileo” in Madrid. 1981 – Exhibition in the Savings Bank of Zaragoza, Spain. 1982 – Exhibition in the Savings Bank of Toledo,Spain. 1983 – Exhibition in the Savings Bank of Castellón. Spain. 1987 – Exhibition in the Cultural Salon of Vinaroz in the province of Castellon. Spain. 1988 – Exhibition in the Zenid Salon of Madrid. 1989 – Exhibition in the Serrano Art Gallery 19 in Madrid. 1991 – 2nd prize in painting from Santa Cruz del Valle in the province of Avila. 1991 – Exhibition with the Canati Group in the “Montaña Artificial” Salon in the Retiro Park in Madrid. 1992 – Exhibition in the Serrano Art Gallery 19 in Madrid. 1992 – Exhibition with the Canati Group in the Breton Art Gallery in Logroño. Spain. 1993 – 1st prize in painting from “la Villa de Mombeltrán” in the province of Avila. 1994 – Exhibtion in the Dacal Gallery in Madrid. 1995 – Exhibition with the Canati Group in the “Julián Simón” Art Center in Toledo. 1996 – Exhibition with the Canati Group in the “Caja de España” Savings Bank of Benavente in the province of Zamora. Spain. 1997 – Exhibition in “Caja de Avila” Savings Bank in Arenas de San Pedro in the province of Ávila. 1998 – Exhibition inthe Altea Gallery in Madrid. 2000 – Exhibition in the John David Mooney Foundation of Chicago. 2001 – Exhibition in the Gaudi Gallery in Chicago. 2002 – 2nd prize in landscape painting from Santa Cruz del Valle in the province of Avila. 2002 – Exhibition in the “Caja Duero” Savings Bank in Arenas de San Pedro in the province of Ávila. 2003 – Exhibition in the Florida Gallery of Vitoria. Spain- 2004 .- Exposición en la Galería Toisón, Madrid. 2004 – Accesit “Comarca Valle del Tietar” Gredos Prize of Painting. Arenas de San Pedro in the province of Avila. 2005 .- Exposición en la Galería Florida, Vitoria. Spain. 2007.- Exhibition in the Torreón de los Guzmanes, Ávila, Spain. 2008.- Exhibition in the Wordl Art Museum de Pequín, CHina

Comments about his Work:

Landscape painting is a theme that so many painters have used with varying degrees of success and to which many of them have been able to give their own personal identity. It is well known that a painting will change every time one looks at it, according to where the light may fall at that precise moment and where it might formerly have been in the shade or shadow. For this reason, a landscape never comes to us as the painter had originally perceived it, even presuming that the painter had tried to reproduce the scene as faithfully and accurately as possible. He may still blemish or stain this by adding his own personal point of view. It is, therefore, speaking of accuracy, when we must ask ourselves if the reality of the things apppearing in the painting are as they actually appear or, on the contrary, the reality exists in the essential parts and it is only signficiant from our own point of view.

Trees, flowers, fields, bushes, streams... landscape painting... that is the compromise which Gabriel Casarrubios offers us and with which he stimulates his other wiew in the spectator – a view with which he is determined to present his knowldege and ”know-how” – which leads him to think first of the painting which will end in a landscape. This is probably the motivation which results in his paintings having a special attraction for us and which arouses the interest of all those who are awed when looking at his marvellous works.

His work demonstrates clearly how he achieves a special subtlety. It is not the subject matter which provokes this sensation – it is something more important – it is his way of painting with such great calm and such repose, achieved by the continuous dripping of colors, in silence. Thus, we are able to confirm his knowledge of the rules and secrets that the color conceals, valuing the quality of the skill with which he is able to articulate the violet and greyish-blue colors, so difficult to present correctly, and which he does without a display of vanity at his great effort.

But it not only the violet color, but also the green, orange, white...colors – colors which permeate all his paintings and which Casarrubios wields with such atmospheric intensity and with such good taste that he rarely uses primary colors.

His method of working reminds us, in a certain way, of the skills of a composer who creates a certain cadence which is carried throughout the piece (the dominant color) and, accompanied by secondary effects, everything acquires the same logic, contributring to the comprehension of the protagonist – the color – around which the entire work revolves. In this way, we understand, then, that it is the landscape that depends on a pictorial reasoning, which Casarrubios composes as he develops his drawing, the light, the color and the lively feeling that each painting exudes.

Juan Antonio Tinte

The paintings of Casarrubios surprise us from the very first moment and he achieves this through his use of colors. The painter makes extraordinary use of his pallet, choosing tones which are habitually not found in the ambience of landscapes, but that in his paint brush acquire a poetic and magical halo.

His work follows strongly the basic principals of the Impressionists, with the fluidity of his brush strokes being highlighted – free and impulsive – with the knowledge he has gained by his wide experience. Pink tones pervade his canvases, but it is the conbination of colors which provide the brillance and joie de vivre in his paintings.

Another of the factors to which he gives special attention is his use of light. Similar to the treatment of colors used by the great artist Joaquin Sorolla, Casarrubios researches and experiments with color to capure these moments, these illustrations, where the sun shines in a special way on the figures in the paintings. By his use of contrasts, he tries to capture that moment, without negating in the painting the presence of people or animals, which he resolves through small details of great simplicity.

David Mangana

* His paintings are mainly to be found in private collections in Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Portugal, Argentina and the USA.

* He is included in the “DICTIONARY OF SPANISH PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS OF THE XX CENTURY”. SPANISH ARTISTS OF THE XXI CENTURY. (Ecuador Editions).