Barrio Escalante, San José

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Estirpe, by Alma Fernández Tercero. A dense mass of dark hair dominates the upper third of the canvas, establishing an assertive counterpoint to the marble-like serenity of the face.

Alma Fernández Tercero

EstirpeInquire about availability

Year
2017
Technique
Oil/Canvas
Dimensions
100 × 76 cm
Status
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Palette
dark brown, sage green, ash rose, warm ivory, bone white
Brushwork
Soft and blended brushwork with delicate glazes on the skin and modeled contours on the botanical elements.

Curatorial analysis

A dense mass of dark hair dominates the upper third of the canvas, establishing an assertive counterpoint to the marble-like serenity of the face. The gaze, directed slightly toward the left and suspended in an introspective distance, introduces an almost ritual pause within the pictorial space. There is no stridency in her demeanor: the full lips remain sealed and the cheekbones are modeled through barely perceptible gradations of light, granting the figure a restrained dignity that resists immediate melodrama.

Around the neck and torso, anatomy merges with flora in a deliberate symbiosis. Large pearlescent petals sprout behind the jawline like a Renaissance ruff of botanical origin, while sinuous sage-green leaves rise and fall in undulating rhythms, embracing the bust. The arrangement of these leaves breaks the strict verticality of the portrait, generating curved tension lines that frame the face and project a second blossom toward the upper left quadrant, balancing the visual weight of the hair.

The painted surface exhibits an oil treatment where blending takes precedence. In the background, a chromatic veil shifting between dusty rose and beige creates an ethereal atmosphere devoid of concrete temporal or spatial anchors. This luminous neutrality highlights the sleek finish of the skin and the meticulous delineation of the foliage, whose darkened contours introduce a subtle graphic quality that contrasts with the overall atmospheric softness.

Under the title Estirpe, the work proposes a reflection on origin, memory, and hybridization. The convergence of diverse anatomical traits with foliage that seems to germinate from the flesh itself evokes a genealogy bound to the earth, where lineage is not defined by geographical boundaries but by an organic integration between the body and the plant realm. The figure is not merely surrounded by nature; she becomes nature itself.

Estirpe

More works by Alma Fernández Tercero

30 works

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View all 30 works by Alma Fernández Tercero

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