Barrio Escalante, San José

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Gallos, by Hector Molné. The clash does not occur in a recognizable dirt ring, but within an incandescent atmosphere where fury merges with a mythical halo.

Hector Molné

GallosSold

Year
2015
Technique
Mixed Media
Dimensions
55 × 75 cm
Status
Sold
Palette
golden ochre, bottle green, carmine, bone white, earth brown
Brushwork
Velvety, granular surface with luminous glazes, linear scrapings, and pointillist touches of dense pigment

Curatorial analysis

The clash does not occur in a recognizable dirt ring, but within an incandescent atmosphere where fury merges with a mythical halo. At the exact center of the picture, both beaks converge in an almost symmetrical bite, abolishing the distance between the attacker suspended in mid-air and the adversary rooted to the ground. This convergence freezes the supreme instant of the fight, transforming the visceral violence of the cockpit into a suspended dance imbued with a strange, liturgical stillness.

A play of diagonals commands the picture: the downward plunge of the rooster on the left, its spurred legs aimed below, is immediately counterbalanced by the upright posture of the right contender, whose fanned tail stabilizes the motion's trajectory. Both anatomies partake in an ornamental treatment where the tail feathers resemble chased goldsmithing, showing iridescent bottle greens and gleams of antique gold. In deliberate contrast, the disheveled white bodies display the raw stigma of combat through a carmine spattering that drips down the wings and stains the talons.

The mixed media resolves the background through a swirl of brownish glazes, ochres, and pale flecks of light that resemble airborne dust or sparks shed by the animals. Thin garnet lines branch across the upper zone like open veins or biological lightning bolts, projecting the physical tearing into the very ether of the scene. In the lower plane, shed feathers strewn among the shadows complete the narrative of material exhaustion facing relentless bravery.

Molné transforms a bloody tradition into a sophisticated visual event. The confrontation strips away any trace of folkloric anecdote to stand as a rigorous study of animal tension, pride, and the persistent beauty found even amidst irreversible damage.

Gallos

More works by Hector Molné

10 works

Available works

Sold and historical

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