Flamenco, the Song of the Gypsy in Spain, is a musical form which has its origins in the early 15th Century under the rule of Isabella and Ferdinand V. The cultural roots lie within the early Jewish, Moorish, and Gypsy communities and is considered to be indigenous of Andalucía. Most scholars believe the birthplace of Flamenco is Jerez de la Frontera.

In the early form, flamenco was solely a personal form of expression, sung in the home for family and friends. The first cante was a song of death, lost love, hardship, and generally tragic in nature. Later the form became a means of expressing lighter happier themes. The commercialization of flamenco became widespread in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and it was at this time that the Flamenco Cafes emerged. It is a thriving tourist attraction today in Spain. The evening usually begins around 10:00 PM and can go into the early hours. I have vivid memories of performances at a cafe in Madrid.

Flamenco is comprised of three artistic elements: the song (cante), the dance (baile), and the guitar (gutarra). Canto is the core of the performance and the text and melody of the songs are improvised with the accompaniment of the Jaleo, finger snapping, hand clapping, and shouting.
My attempt was to portray the passion, the theatre, and the longing which encompasses the art form and the people it comes from. In the spirit of Goya, I paint the beautiful, the absurd, and the ugly.