Barrio Escalante, San José

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Chola, by Manuel Vargas. Weight becomes pure presence in this seated figure.

Manuel Vargas

Chola

Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
48 × 24 × 34 cm
Status
Available
Palette
dark bronze, bronze ochre, brown patina, terracotta
Brushwork
Sculptural modeling cast in bronze with a tactile finish and contrasts of rubbed patina.

Curatorial analysis

Weight becomes pure presence in this seated figure. The corpulence does not attempt to conceal or lighten itself; it settles firmly upon the rectilinear bench, establishing an evident counterpoint between the geometric solidity of the support and the organic generosity of the flesh modeled in bronze. The nude body, full of folds, a sagging belly, and frank roundness, discards any canon of slenderness to assert a physical force that celebrates mass as a vital affirmation.

The torso widens and projects forward while the head tilts serenely backward and upward, breaking any temptation of static rigidity within the block. This ascending gesture of the neck and chin introduces an air of unyielding dignity, a moment of calm where the gaze seems to surrender to distant introspection. At the same time, the arms braced backward transfer effort onto the seat, tensing the shoulders and revealing the structure of an anatomy accustomed to endurance and grounding.

The bronze skin participates decisively in this expressive weight. Through an alternation of dark patinas and coppery gleams, the surface acquires a tactile vibration where light shapes every transition. Dense tones take shelter in the cavities of the lap, the groin, and the flank, while a warm golden sheen emerges at the points of greatest light tension, such as the cheekbones, the breasts, and the curve of the arm.

Stripped of ornament, the figure concentrates its eloquence within the contained monumentality of its scale. There is a disarming nobility in this unadorned posture of rest, transforming the mature female body into a monument to everyday solidity and the permanence of life itself.

Chola

More works by Manuel Vargas

9 works

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