By infusing his works with elements of portraiture, the surreal, and the classical, Jose Borrell redefines conventional figurative painting. Borrell says, “The majority of my works are feminine nudes through which I would like to transmit the calm, love, and passion that fills each of my model’s lives.” Each painting is a multidimensional scene that contemplates the role of the nude.
Deft manipulation of light and shadow highlights the inherent beauty of the human form. The sensuous, soft lines of his figures are paired with chimerical and surreal surroundings, causing a blurred division between reality and fantasy. The viewer is transported to a dreamlike setting where art and life merge. In this liminal space, the boundaries between the subject and viewer dissolve. The effect, in turn, is the realization that the body is not only a measure of physical human beauty, reiterated by the aesthetic values of the painting, but a vessel useful for expressing greater human emotions and ideas that transcend form.
While having attended renowned art schools in Spain, including the Fine Arts School of Alcoy and at the Superior School of Saint Carlos of Valencia, Borrell is mainly a self-taught artist. He notes his mentorship under artist Paco Egea as key to the development of his skills in drawing and painting. Borrell designates Spanish artists Joaquín Sorolla and Salvador Dalí as his greatest inspirations; the influence of these artists is evident in his works, given his particular attention to light and fantasy.