El Hortelano

José Alfonso Morera Ortiz, commonly known by his artist name, El Hortelano, was a painter. He was influential in the countercultural movement known as the Movida Madrileña, along with artists like Ouka Leele, Ceesepe, Guillermo Pérez Villalta, film director Pedro Almodóvar, singer Alaska, and photographer Alberto García-Alix. El Hortelano's style of painting evolved over time, and this evolution includes a distorted figurative period, a romantic period of orange tonalities, and, later, a period where lyricism and naturalism were emphasized. Considered one of the most important Spanish artists of his generation, he was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts on November 3, 2010.