He has Licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical University of Salamanca. He spent two more years of specialized studies in Madrid, centering his research at the end of his career in a work entitled “Images of the cross and the crucified. Iconological reading and pastoral use. Exposition Ages of Man”. Interested in anything that has to do with the use of images throughout history, he is convinced of its necessity and power.
P. – Where is your interest in art coming from?
R. – I have always felt the inclination towards drawing, painting, sculpting… On one hand, it gives me satisfaction, brings me inner delight; on the other hand, I feel the vital need to express in artistic form what others do with words. What's more, the mastery of different artistic techniques demands method, patience… it is a magnificent school for personal growth and it gives me the chance to know very important personages.
Distinct Style
P. – Have you developed an iconography proper to the Augustinian Recollects? What inspires it?
R. – Before anything else, there is a need for an effort at documentation. Everything is already in tradition. The message to be transmitted is the same as always, what changes are the codes of communication and the artistic design. A Romanesque fresco transmits a message utilizing some visual codes (composition, sizes, colors…), a Gothic slab in turn transmits the same message, yet visual language has evolved. This process continues to our day, where we have lost the capacity for interpretation, the public at large does not understand the message transmitted, and the classic techniques give way to others which generally mislead in good measure. In making a new Augustinian iconography, the main effort is to find the visual codes which allows communicating a message and which anyone in our society can read. It is an effort to reinterpret a message in the language of our times. It is the same effort which we have had to make in every generation on reading and interpreting the Sacred Scriptures… and as with the exegetes, aside from studying, there is a need for the light of the Spirit.
P. – In this portal you have collaborated with illustrations of saints and creations for the liturgical calendar. Why have you involved yourself?
R. – A hundred years ago our friars were preaching from the pulpits of churches and in magazines. It was the way to reach people. Today the forums are different. Internet is opening a field of infinite possibilities and it is an indispensable communication channel for any serious institution that desires to reach out. If one day you preach in a church, a hundred people will hear you; if you publish a book, with some luck, another hundred will read you; but if you publish something in the internet your message will reach a lot more people within a limitless geographical range, with a much lower production cost. Internet is not the future, it is the present, and if you don’t have an internet presence, you simply don’t exist.
Art in the Internet
P. – You have so much faith in the internet?
R. – The Augustinian Recollects, as an Order, needs a presence in the internet. And besides, it should be a serious presence that tells about what we do, what we are and what we are committed to. And here, as important is the message as the forms; thus, it is necessary to count on professionals who can help us do the things rightly. Personally I believe that today it is more interesting to invest in a professional presence in the internet than to publish our books in the traditional way. We can reach out to more people. When the people in-charge of this portal asked for my collaboration I could not refuse. I have always placed all my work at the disposition of anybody who wants to use it. He has open permission. With more reason, the official portal of my Order can use it. It is a cause of pride and in a way a recognition of my work throughout these years.
P. – What comments have you got regarding your illustrations published in www.agustinosrecoletos.com/?
R. – When I went out of Spain and introduced myself in one of our houses, at the mention of my name they immediately said: “the one of the drawings” – the materials which I have made available to all who want to use it.
P. – Where can we see your work, your illustrations, drawings, sculptures, stained glasses, photographs…?
R. – There are many who ask me for drawings, brochure designs, posters… In keeping with the modern times, and considering how convenient, fast and practical it is, I have edited a personal webpage www.rafaelnieto.com where I post anything that could be of interest to our friars and all people. They can download whatever they want and use it freely.
Gratis and valuable
P. – Why do you give away your artwork?
R. – All materials are available to anybody who wants to use it, but I’m not giving away anything. In a tradition that treasures the use of words, it is important that today we also learn to value other forms of language, like graphics, photography, front page designing or webpage editing. Unfortunately, it seems that today what is being given away is of no value. One thing is value, another thing is price. I don’t give anything away; I receive another sort of satisfaction on a personal and spiritual plane.
P. – What is the last one that you have done and in what direction are you working at present?
R. – The last one was completing the images lacking in the saints calendar and designing the title page of the book on Fr Genaro which will be edited in Rome. I am also studying something on heraldry, which is becoming very interesting to me as I compare it with the use nowadays of logos in big financial and political institutions.