Barrio Escalante, San José

Visits by appointment only

Schedule a visit (opens the scheduler)
Gato Anaranjado, by Carlos Tapia. An orange cat arches its back at the exact center of the space, shattering the apparent stillness of a domestic salon.
1 photo · 1 video

Carlos Tapia

Gato AnaranjadoInquire about availability

Year
1998
Technique
Pastel
Dimensions
75 × 112 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
vermilion orange, orchid violet, cerulean blue, golden ochre, leaf green
Brushwork
Dense, saturated pastel applied with vigorous strokes and thick contours delineating vibrant chromatic planes

Curatorial analysis

An orange cat arches its back at the exact center of the space, shattering the apparent stillness of a domestic salon. The feline descends from the armchair with its claws dug into the upholstery and its gaze locked onto the viewer, becoming the gravitational core of an environment that rejects traditional perspective. Around it, the floor plane tilts vertiginously forward, thrusting furniture and objects toward the viewer in an almost theatrical burst of energy.

The interior space is structured through the direct collision of pure color planes. The incandescent orange of the left wall rivals the cerulean blue in the center and the saturated violet framing the fish tank, while thick dark outlines contain the pastel matter with a firmness reminiscent of cloisonné or stained glass. Everything vibrates simultaneously: the arabesques of the upholstered backrest engage in dialogue with the foliage peeking from behind, and the curves of the red calla lilies on the left are echoed in the sinuous glassware and fruit atop the foreground table.

A subtle play of gazes and contained tensions underlies the scene. To the right, confined within the transparent prism of purple water, a pair of red fish swim seemingly oblivious to the feline's presence or perhaps stalked by its proximity. This aquarium functions as a picture within a picture, a geometric architecture that contrasts with the sinuous baroqueness of the furniture and the animal's muscular elasticity.

The pastel dust leaves a velvety, corporeal presence on the paper, where luminosity emanates not from an external light source but from the direct friction between contrasting pigments. Far from being a mere interior portrait, the scene transforms room intimacy into a restless, electric territory, where the cat serves as the catalyst for a vital force that disrupts the everyday order.

Gato Anaranjado

More works by Carlos Tapia

153 works

Available works

View all 153 works by Carlos Tapia

Similar works

By subject, palette and style

Message the gallery on WhatsApp

Cookies

We use cookies to learn how the site is used and to show the gallery's ads on other platforms. They are only turned on if you accept them.