Barrio Escalante, San José

Visits by appointment only

Schedule a visit (opens the scheduler)
Juntas, by Vernor Gallardo. A continuous block of scarlet red runs across the horizontal canvas, binding two women positioned back to back.

Vernor Gallardo

JuntasInquire about availability

Year
2014
Technique
Oil/Canvas
Dimensions
93 × 148 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
carmine red, ivory white, ochre orange, burnt vermilion, old gold
Brushwork
Translucent patches and oil glazes on a white ground, with fluid contour lines and decorative marks.

Curatorial analysis

A continuous block of scarlet red runs across the horizontal canvas, binding two women positioned back to back. Their profiles, outlined with restrained contours free of anatomical realism, look toward opposite margins yet remain anchored by a single textile or capillary mass dominating the upper register. The contrast between the saturated red and the pure luminosity of the white background creates an almost heraldic, frontal plane where the human figure functions as a graphic sign rather than an individual portrait.

At the center, where both heads converge, the negative space activates through a white cut-out crowned with golden scrolls. This curvilinear ornamentation, evocative of classical decorative motifs, serves as a formal bridge balancing the divergent pull of their gazes. Toward the edges, small still lifes temper the rigidity of the symmetrical scheme: on the left sits a bowl brimming with ochre and orange spheres, while on the right, loose fruit and golden leaves disperse across the void, softening the visual weight.

The paint surface is resolved through light glazes and swept applications that reveal the brightness of the prepared canvas beneath. Rather than a flat monochrome field, the red breathes across variations ranging from fiery vermilion to earthy ochre, exposing the gesture of the brush. This physical translucency contrasts with the sharp edges of the outlines, lending the figures an ethereal presence.

The title suggests a reading centered on duality and connection: two identities looking toward opposite horizons while sharing the same physical and compositional core. Framed by the fruit offering and the stillness of the facial profiles, the scene evokes a quiet, ritual atmosphere where closeness relies not on eye contact, but on the shared expanse that keeps them indivisible.

Juntas

More works by Vernor Gallardo

16 works

Available works

Inquire about availability

Sold and historical

View all 16 works by Vernor Gallardo

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.