Barrio Escalante, San José

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Candidéz, by Alma Fernández Tercero. An oblique gaze, laden with quiet maturity, belies any simplistic reading of the title.

Alma Fernández Tercero

CandidézInquire about availability

Year
2017
Technique
Oil/Canvas
Dimensions
26 × 24 cm
Status
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Palette
sage green, ivory white, terracotta, dark chestnut, olive green
Brushwork
Soft, blended modeling in the skin contrasted with graphic impastos and outlines in the floral motifs

Curatorial analysis

An oblique gaze, laden with quiet maturity, belies any simplistic reading of the title. Within this intimate scale of barely twenty-six by twenty-four centimeters, the female figure emerges enveloped by an eruption of white matter that acts not as mere ornamentation, but as a threshold between carnality and allegory.

The axis of the painting rests upon a pronounced bodily torsion. While the torso and shoulders suggest a profile incline, the face turns slowly toward the viewer, revealing a slender neck of elongated proportions. This postural tension is balanced by the distribution of the flora: below, petals unfold in broad circular strokes covering the bust like armor or vegetative froth; above, a compact crown of roses sits atop the dark hair, structured through dark contours that lend it an almost woodcut quality.

A deliberate interplay of technical contrasts unfolds across the surface. The face and shoulders are rendered through glazes and soft modeling that allow the fine weave of the canvas to breathe through, achieving a warm complexion in earth and amber tones. In contrast, the flowers display a dense, synthetic handling, where the white oil paint settles heavily against a muted sage-green ground applied with visible yet restrained brushwork. This sober atmosphere neutralizes any decorative excess, focusing the illumination entirely upon the character's features.

The piece proposes a reflection on purity not as a naive condition, but as an internal state of reserve. The apparent lightness of the blooms frames a dense psychology, where almond eyes and firmly drawn lips convey an inner wakefulness that refuses fragility.

Candidéz

More works by Alma Fernández Tercero

30 works

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View all 30 works by Alma Fernández Tercero

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