Barrio Escalante, San José

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Alegoría de circo, by Rafael Fernández. An atmosphere of theatrical reverie unfolds across this canvas, driven by the frontal chromatic contrast between the vivid fuchsia strip on the horizon and the deep cobalt blues that flood the rest of the scene.
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Rafael Fernández

Alegoría de circoSold

Year
2011
Technique
Oil/Canvas
Dimensions
61 × 50 cm
Collection
Mágica
Status
Sold
Palette
cobalt blue, fuchsia, yellow ochre, turquoise green, ivory
Brushwork
Modulated impasto and luminous glazes with fluid, defined line drawing.

Curatorial analysis

An atmosphere of theatrical reverie unfolds across this canvas, driven by the frontal chromatic contrast between the vivid fuchsia strip on the horizon and the deep cobalt blues that flood the rest of the scene. Two monumental faces cut at the left and right flanks function as theatrical wings; their attentive gazes look not toward the viewer, but toward the interior of the canvas, inviting us to witness a procession suspended in weightlessness.

In the center of the space, the customary scale of bodies and the laws of physics dissolve. Characters with sinuous silhouettes and golden garments seem to ride fantastical mounts or float upon the air, while a female figure dressed in yellow steps lightly across an insinuated ground. In the upper quadrant, a dark beast crosses the night sky in inverted flight, engaging in counterpoint with a pair of miniature equines, one white and one black, resting on the intermediate plane. This interplay of disconcerting scales turns the surface into a polyphonic stage where every element operates as a lyrical symbol.

The pictorial matter operates through smooth transitions that coexist with denser areas of impasto, visible in the textures of the drapery and the green patches that suggest a dreamlike vegetation. Light emanates from the background, causing the yellow tones and flesh hues to take on an inner glow that defies the ambient blue twilight.

The circus summoned here dispenses with the actual tent and ring, transforming instead into a state of mind. The beings that inhabit it appear to belong to a shared memory or to a fable in which wakefulness and dream coexist without friction, offering a playful and poetic vision of the human condition.

Alegoría de circo

More works by Rafael Fernández

56 works

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View all 56 works by Rafael Fernández

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