“I   sit   on   the   floor   in   cross   legged   position,   the   white   canvas   on   my   lap supported   on   the   other   side   by   the   sofa   -   lightly   up,   35   degrees.   I   dive into   the   canvas.   With   a   brush   I   begin   with   one   quadrangle   and   other follows   it   and   other   and   other.   They   make   a   line.   I   follow   my   hand.   The hand   knows   when   to   turn,   when   to   stop.   Always   without   stretching   the body to which it belongs. Always in comfort and trusting. For   a   better   understanding   of   this   work   I   have   to   mention   Alan   W.   Watts in   the   book   The   Way   of   ZEN   Chapter   4,   ZEN   IN   THE   ARTS   (page   193, 195). "The   point   is   rather   that   for   Zen   there   is   no   duality,   no   conflict   between the   natural   element   of   chance   and   the   human   element   of   control.   The constructive   powers   of   the   human   mind   are   no   more   artificial   than   the formative   actions   of   plants   or   bees,   so   that   from   the   standpoint   of   Zen it   is   no   contradiction   to   say   that   artistic   technique   is   discipline   in spontaneity   and   spontaneity   in   discipline.   Paradoxical   as   it   may   seem, the   purposeful   life   has   no   content,   no   point.   It   hurries   on   and   on,   and misses   everything.   Not   hurrying,   the   purposeless   life   misses   nothing, for   it   is   only   when   there   is   no   goal   and   no   rush   that   the   human   senses are   fully   open   to   receive   the   world.   Absence   of   hurry   also   involves   a certain   lack   of   interference   with   the   natural   course   of   events,   especially when   it   is   felt   that   the   natural   course   follows   principles   which   are   not foreign    to    human    intelligence.    For,    as    we    have    seen,    the    Taoist mentality   makes   or   forces   nothing   but   'grows'   everything.   When   human reason   is   seen   to   be   an   expression   of   the   same   spontaneous   balance   of yang    and    yin    as    the    natural    universe,    man's    action    upon    his environment   is   not   felt   as   a   conflict,   an   action   from   outside.   Thus   the difference   between   forcing   and   growing   cannot   be   expressed   in   terms of   specific   directions   as   to   what   should   or   should   not   be   done,   for   the difference   lies   primarily   in   the   quality   and   feeling   of   the   action.   The difficulty   of   describing   these   things   for   Western   ears   is   that   people   in   a hurry cannot feel."                                                                                            Lilia Pegado

Behind   the   quest   of   Lilia   Pegado   for   individual   and   social   harmony   there   are   philosophical and   social   ideas   that   guide   its   progress,   as   it   is   suggested   by   the   dynamics   of   geometric symbolism.   Ideas   of   social   change   and   social   justice   form   a   philosophy   of   art   that   is   also   a way   of   living   through   artistic   creation.   L.P.   describes   her   work   as   SUPERNORMALISM   -   a   term used to describe a new art movement. A new way of treating life as a work of art itself.

Individual   happiness,   in   the   artist's   view,   can   be   understood   in   the   light   of   the   platonic   myth that   tells   how   the   gods   had   the   human   body   cut   in   two   to   weaken   the   power   of   the   species. As   a   result   of   this   wound,   each   half   yearns   for   the   half   from   which   it   has   been   severed.   The two Quadrangles representing female and male meet in the shape of the Octagon. In   the   society   symbolised   by   the   Hexagon   the   conditions   are   already   fulfilled   for   the   re- unification   of   the   pair.   Female   and   male   regain   their   lost   strength   in   a   sexual   embrace,   which is   attuned   to   the   cosmic   energies   of   the   universe.   They   become   a   Circle   -   a   Circle   made   of two   halves.   The   Circle   as   a   section   of   the   Cylinder   contains   the   two   halves,   showing   the continuity   of   their   union.   The   Cylinder   becomes   then   an   ultimate   form,   the   supreme   shape, acquiring the qualities of the divinity.    (See animation)

The   Quadrangle   moves   into   the   crystal-clear   perfection   of   the   Cube,   which   suggests   the achievement   of   collective   effort   and   fits   into   the   Hexagon,   whose   isoperimetric   qualities make it stand as the symbol of civilised life in a caring society.    (See animation)                 

By   exploring   ideas   and   concepts,   which   can   better   be   associated   with   Plato's   philosophy   Lilia Pegado seeks to convey in her painting her own search for social and individual happiness. Her   approach   is   unorthodox   and   relies   on   intuitive   reasoning.   Geometric   figures   become   the symbols   of   a   dynamic   process   that   traces   the   itinerary   of   pictorial   evolution.   All   of   her   work is    based    on    the    Variations    on    the    Theme    of    the    Quadrangle.    The    Quadrangle    appears endowed   with   new   values.   It   becomes   a   symbol   for   the   human   being,   alone   and   within society. The    Quadrangle,    throughout    her    work    progresses    onto    different    geometric    forms    and shapes,   which   have   their   own   symbolism.   This   symbolism   can   be   seen   developed   throughout the works on paper. Only some of them are represented on this web site.