Xavier Castellanos was born in Geneva, Switzerland where he spent his childhood. He started painting at the age of four. In 1989, at the age of 16, he moved to Mexico City with his family and had his first solo exhibit. He studied Fine Arts at the Art Students League of New York from 1991 to 1994. Since 1989 he has done more than 50 one-artist shows and has participated in more than 60 group exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, France, London and other cities in Europe.

Landscape painting in contemporary Mexico encompasses a wide spectrum of visions and styles. It includes both striking Mexican vistas as well as abstract views of shifting geographies, urban landscapes and fields of color. A diverse visual language is used to describe a landscape, ranging from realism to surrealism to abstraction. In Castellanos’ work we find a broad lexicon of representative and narrative imagery complimented by a refreshing exploration of the expressive possibilities of landscapes rarely seen in today’s contemporary art. His power, simplicity and playful command of vivid colors within bold outlines are reminiscent of Expressionism and Fauvism. His style is replete with sensual curves and primitive forms. The Mexican Landscape paintings of Xavier Castellanos reverberate with a sense of place yet a lack of time, and they suggest a bit of magical realism. They entice us with their views of color-filled streets, lush gardens and vibrant views. These paintings evoke great intensity while portraying sleepy hill towns and melodic landscapes. Rich in color and filled with psychological messages, these paintings are a unique manifestation of the subconscious process of creating his own world.

“I often think of poetry and painting as the same art form where colorful strokes and words connect to create a unified whole. Just as literary artists often convey a story between the lines of a text, I paint visions between colors and between ideas. I consider some of my paintings as ‘landscapes’ that negotiate real and emotional space. In this way, the forms and symbols drifting through the paintings may be thought of as the cartography of these ‘maps.’ The viewer must inhabit the images in order to read the map and, as a result, read himself. I paint between rigidity and overflow, large uniform surfaces next to small, busy detailed sections, in order to show that there is movement, a flux and reflux....”

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Xochimilco (2002) Mexican Landscape Series Acrylic on canvas 24" x 38"

Road to Huatulco Mexican Landscape Series Acrylic on board 20" x 16"

Balconies (2002) Mexican Landscape Series Acrylic on canvas 24" x 38"