INTRODUCTION

Francisco Bores (Madrid, 1898- Paris, 1972) is one of the most important and unique artists in contemporary Spanish painting. At all times throughout his career as a painter he was in the spotlight, and way ahead of his Spanish and foreign contemporaries. During his youth he found his place in the rich environment of the so-called Edad de Plata, the Silver Age of Spanish Culture. It was extremely connected to the Residencia de Estudiantes, which was the unavoidable meeting point of artists and thinkers. Towards the end of 1925, Bores abandoned Madrid and settled in France, where he lived for the most part of his life and became one of the main figures of the so-called School of Paris. It has been often noted that Francisco Bores cannot be associated with any movement. The alignment with Impressionism, Cubism or Fauvism could serve as a starting point for the critical explanation of his work, but it would always be insufficient and incomplete. Bores' sensitive and rigorous art was fuelled by the modern avant-gardes to develop an unmistakable style of its own that stands out for its exquisite treatment of colour, for the reflection of an apparently simple intimacy and for a powerful evocative ability. Bores was a painter of a specific time who built a very personal world with the plastic instruments of his historical moment. With the passing of time he gained excellence until he became, as Juan Ramón Jiménez had stated in 1931, a classic of contemporary art.