Fin, 1981

Fernando Bellver  

Fin (The End) is an original print of 1981 by Fernando Bellver combining etching, collage and hand colouring, issued in an edition of 50 copies in the large format of 91.5 x 71 cm. Within a great oval, like the iris shot that closes an old film, a man in a hat and dark glasses and a woman with long, wavy hair are locked in an exaggerated kiss, their open mouths showing white teeth and their red and pink tongues entwined in a knot. Her hand with painted nails grips his face; another hand holds a dagger at left; a wristwatch, a polka-dot tie and a heart-shaped hairclip add details of fashion and melodrama. The figures are built from a dense repertoire of etched textures, cross-hatching, herringbone, dots and waves, while touches of red and pink are applied by hand. At the bottom, the word FIN, cut out and collaged in thick patterned letters, seals the scene with the title card of Spanish cinema, turning the kiss into a parody of the happy ending. Fernando Bellver (Madrid, 1954) is a leading Spanish printmaker and sculptor whose work combines technical refinement with humour and a constant play of quotations from art history, cinema and popular imagery. The impression in the gallery's records is number 34 of the edition.