Barcelona, Spain

b. 1965

Argimiro transforms his background in mathematics into dynamic figurative paintings that capture the tension, energy, and resilience of the human body in motion.

Biography

Argimiro Arratia Quesada is a Barcelona-based visual artist whose work explores the dynamic territory between analytical precision and expressive chaos. With a PhD in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Arratia brings the logic of sequencing, geometric rigor and structural abstraction of his scientific background into the visual arts.

Working within a distinctive language of Neo-Pop Figurative Expressionism, his paintings investigate the human body in motion, breaking down and reconstructing the figure through energy, rhythm and gesture. His work builds an urban mythology around resilience, physical effort and popular culture, transforming the body into a powerful expression of tension, endurance and achievement.

Arratia’s practice is also deeply material. He experiments with pure pigments, media and different supports, combining this craftsmanship with the visceral spontaneity of Action Painting—splashes, forceful textures, energetic marks and carefully fragmented compositions. The resulting works balance control and unpredictability, structure and instinct.

Having studied at Barcelona’s Escola Massana and under the mentorship of painter Josep Maria Cabané, Arratia has developed a visual language in which the human figure becomes a field of forces. His paintings ultimately explore the fragile boundary between tension and release, collapse and resilience, effort and triumph.

Education

- Master Josep Maria Cabané Painting Studio, Apprentice (2022–present), Barcelona, Spain. - Escola Massana – Centre d’Art i Disseny, Painting: Color and Space in Portraiture and the Human Figure (2022), Barcelona, Spain. - Escola Massana – Centre d’Art i Disseny, Painting Techniques: Materials and Processes (2021), Barcelona, Spain. - University of Wisconsin–Madison, Ph.D. in Mathematics, USA. - University of Wisconsin–Madison, M.S. in Computer Science, USA. - University of Wisconsin–Madison, M.S. in Mathematics, USA.

Exhibitions & Awards

2026 — Aixopluc d’Art, Group Exhibition. Palau Robert Coach Houses, organized by Fundació Jubert Figueras, Barcelona, Spain. 2026 — Bodies at the Limit: Taking the Hit and Dancing with Chaos, Solo Exhibition. La Cervesera Artesana, Barcelona, Spain. 2026 — 25th Painting Exhibition and Competition at Passeig de Sant Joan, Group Exhibition. Barcelona, Spain. 2022 — 21st Painting Exhibition and Competition at Passeig de Sant Joan, Group Exhibition. Barcelona, Spain. 2011 — 4th Painting Competition of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Group Exhibition. UPC Campus Nord, Barcelona, Spain.