SUMMARY.

      Valuing that Sean Scully (1945), is one of the most representative figures of the abstract painting of our days. It must consider that this doctoral thesis is the first monographic study that has been made in Spain about the artist. He only appears named in some panoramic theses on the new abstraction of the Eighties, like one of the painters who comprised of this movement. Its presence in our country is highly significant, not only to have a study in Barcelona, but also because it has maintained a expositive continuity in diverse Spanish cities. All it puts of relief the convenience of the present project in the academic context of the studies of visual arts.
      In general we can say that its painting is abstract, with a formal structure composed by rectangles, squares, and vertical and horizontal lines, that next to the treatment of the colour by means of the use of complementary, cold and warm, and the different resulting textures from the disposition of multiple painting layers on the linen cloth, confer to works a plasticity that reconciles the order and the emotion. The painter also sees itself and his work within a specific practice and aims more than nothing at a certain attitude that informs into its artistic work. It is obvious that its cultured work and expressive drift towards an abstract language that a rigorous structure has, and humanism that ends simultaneously at an accessible and deep painting. 
      In the first part of this investigation the pictorial antecedents with respect to their work, the origins and influences with diverse artists who comprise of the abstract tradition, from principles of century XX are analyzed to the Eighties. In the second part the compositives principles of their paintings study, from the Seventies to the present time, as well as a compilation of contemporary artists related to the work of Scully. The third part deals with the humanistic dimension that the artist contributes with his painting to different questions like the pictorial geometry, techniques and means, where we can find a study of the colour, by means of an analysis of the chromatic trowel, as well as the different supports and formats used in its works; also it is alluded to the watercolours, the pastels, and the print, since they are an important sector within his artistic development, as well as the photography and the titles. So the humanistic dimension it’s comparable to the technical dimension.  
      Finally it’s collect a two interviews, one personal maked in the Institute of Modern Art of Valencia, and another unpublised in Spain, and maked for Journal of Contemporary Art, at 1998. Moreover by the catalogue of all his works ordered per years.