From drawing animals to skulls to flowers, Javier Barrios focuses on drawing nature.
Barrios goes through seasons of focusing on one aspect of nature. For example, recently, he’s been drawing lots of flowers, specifically orchids. The artist draws them as a cross between fiction and reality—portraying them in a beautiful, realistic way but with a hint of monstrosity.
https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2023/08/29/javier-barrios-mexico-city-clearing
Barrio’s goal is to depict the relationship between humans and nature and perceptions around politics. His pieces, like the one below, are “hybrid flower monsters” that are supposed to show both humor and despair. He put emphasis on death and beauty.
Cypripedium estallido (2021).
https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2023/08/29/javier-barrios-mexico-city-clearing
The artist has had a lot of influences that made him become who he is today. When he was a child, he used to observe José Clemente Orozco’s menacing murals. These could have inspired the horror aspect of his work. But he’s also inspired by Japanese anime, which combines contrasting things together.
Even though these pieces are slightly unusual and really diverse, the importance of nature ties them all together and is the central theme in all of his works.
Offerings to the Nocturnal Hours (2023).
https://www.contemporaryartlibrary.org/artist/javier-barrios-30657
“Of course, I love art. I love art-making. I love being an artist ... but drawing came before, and it’s going to be there after. If art ends in the future, drawing will survive” (link).
See more of his unique pieces on his instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barriosboyz/!