Por Redaccion 
Xavier Mariscal joins the cultural offerings of Avilés with the exhibition «Chico, Rita, and the Pianist» on February 3, 2025. The exhibition will showcase original printed documents (sketches, full-color, script) and audiovisual materials (interviews and behind-the-scenes videos) that shed light on the creative processes behind the films «Chico and Rita» (2010) and «They Shot the Pianist» (2023). These films were the result of collaboration between the Valencian cartoonist and filmmaker Fernando TrueBa.
The exhibition, which will be inaugurated on Thursday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Camposagrado, will have the presence of its curator, Macdiego, and the Minister of Culture, Yolanda Alonso. Xavier Mariscal will visit Avilés in March to hold meetings on Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th, where the two aforementioned features will be designed.
Comic and cinema are two forms of expression that have been intertwined throughout history, creating universes that capture the audience’s imagination. Xavier Mariscal stands out as a bridge between these two disciplines. Known for his work as a designer and illustrator, in the early 1980s, he brought his unique graphic style to life, creating iconic characters from his most emblematic cartoons like «The Knight of the Knight,» «Garrisul,» «Croar,» «The World of the Lord,» and many more.
Mariscal began his fruitful collaboration with Fernando TrueBa on «Chico and Rita» (2010), the first feature film for Mariscal and a perfect example of how comics influence the narrative of a movie. The film, which tells the love story between a pianist and a singer in the context of Cuban music, is characterized by a brilliant style reminiscent of comic strips where colors, shapes, and stylized characters come to life. This fusion highlights Mariscal’s versatility as an artist, creating visual continuity between the two formats.
Mariscal takes advantage of the narrative possibilities of both expressions to explore universal issues like love, identity, or nostalgia. His ability to tell stories through images, whether on a page or in a sequence, shows that both mediums complement each other and enrich the experience of the reader/viewer.
In 2023, «They Shot the Pianist» was released, defined by Fernando Trueba as a clash between beauty and barbarism. The color images drawn by Mariscal, with his distinctive style, create charismatic characters and visually appealing worlds, combined with an excellent soundtrack, allowing the viewer to travel with Tenorio Jr.’s hand, where the musician suddenly disappears hours after performing with Vinicius de Moraes and Tquinho. This story was also reflected in a graphic novel.
In summary, the connection between comics, cinema, and Xavier Mariscal is evident through his personal style and narrative, showing how both mediums can enrich each other and inspire new generations of graphic artists to explore visual storytelling in all its dimensions.
Chico and Rita (2010)
Undoubtedly, the most well-known and successful collaboration between Fernando Trueba and Xavier Mariscal. This animated film tells the story of Chic in the background.
Awards or nominations:
- Premier Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature 2012
- Goya Award for Best Animated Film in 2011
- Public Award at the Annecy Film Festival in 2011
They Shot the Pianist (2023)
On March 18, 1976, after performing a concert in Buenos Aires with Vinicius de Moraes and Tquinho, Brazilian pianist Francisco Tenório Cerquira, one of the best representatives of Samba-Jazz and Bossa Nova, disappeared. Everything indicates that the Argentine military dictatorship took him and executed him by mistake.
Nominations:
- Nominated for Best Animated Film (Goya 2023)
- Nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Film (European EFA Award)
- Other nominations for Best Animated Film:
- Platinum Ibero-American Film Awards (2024)
- Gaudí Awards
- Forqué Awards (2023)
- Goya Awards (2023)
Mariscal and comics
In the early years of his career, Mariscal was heavily influenced by the comic scene and illustration. In his initial graphic design works, he showed a great affinity for comics, especially European comic and pop art styles. In the 1970s, he actively participated in the magazine «El Víbora,» a publication of great importance for Spanish counterculture. This magazine was essential in modernizing comics in Spain, where Mariscal presented some of his early creations.
One of Mariscal’s works most directly related to comics is the lighting album titled «Thirteen Sad Traps» (13 Tristes Trampas), published in 1981. This work is a clear example of how Mariscal merged his distinctive visual style with graphic storytelling. This work features stories with surreal and absurd elements, often using comics as a medium to explore social criticism and philosophical reflection, which was a distinctive feature of his work during that period.
Although the famous mascot of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Cobi, is not strictly a comic, its design is heavily influenced by comic style and visual storytelling. When creating Cobi, Mariscal used the aesthetics of comics and cartoons, with simple lines, vibrant colors, and minimalist expression. The way Cobi interacts with the audience also has a comic character approach, where the image is easy to recognize and has a strong emotional expression.
Mariscal also collaborated on creating comics and editorial projects within the scope of author illustration. While not exclusively dedicated to comics, his work had a profound influence on the Spanish comic scene of the time, especially due to his connection with important magazines like «El VÍMO» and his involvement in the Generation 77, a group of artists who contributed to the comic renewal in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mariscal’s style is easily recognizable in comics due to geometric simplification, expressive characters, and the use of flat color, common elements in both comics and graphic design activities. The use of clean lines and simplified figures has been influenced by how comics of the time were visually represented, adopting a more accessible and vibrant aesthetic.
About Mariscal
Xavier Mariscal (Valencia, 1950) is one of Spain’s most famous designers, illustrators, and visual artists. With a career spanning over four decades, he has made a deep mark in the world of design and visual arts, being one of the most influential figures in contemporary design. His work was essential in creating a modern visual identity for various brands, cultural projects, and especially in the field of comic and character design.
Mariscal began his career in the 1970s, studying at the School of Arts and Crafts in Valencia. Over the years, he stood out as a key figure in the «Nidequake» movement, a group of Spanish artists and designers who broke with traditional forms of graphic design and illustration. In the 1980s, Mariscal established his name internationally, pioneering the introduction of digital graphic design.
One of his major achievements was the design of Cobi, the famous mascot of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, which became a global icon and a symbol of cultural openness and modernization in Spain. This design, both graphically and emotionally, has marked a before and after in the field of Olympic mascot design.
Throughout his career, Xavier Mariscal has received numerous prestigious awards that highlight his importance in graphic design and visual arts. Some of the most prominent ones include:
- National Design Award (1999), awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Spain, recognizing his contribution to graphic and visual design.
- Golden Laus Award (in 5 editions), a prize granted by the Catalonia Graphic Design Association for the best visual and communication works in Spain, with great relevance in the field of graphic design in Spain.
- Gold Medal in Merit in Plastic Arts (2010), awarded by the Spanish government in recognition of his career and contributions to art and design.
Furthermore, his work has been exhibited in numerous international museums and galleries, strengthening his position as a reference in contemporary visual design.
Mariscal’s style is vibrant, colorful, and characterized by great simplicity. His illustrations and characters tend to be geometric figures and expressive characters, with a strong emotional and visual component. In addition to his work as a designer, he ventured into the world of comics, becoming one of the great references in contemporary Spanish illustration.