Rafael Fernández
La Reunión
- Year
- 1976
- Technique
- Oil/Canvas
- Dimensions
- 180 × 244 cm
- Status
- Available
Curatorial analysis
Curatorial analysis
An impenetrable darkness anchors this gathering of figures who seem to emerge from memory rather than from any physical space. Spanning an imposing scale of nearly two and a half meters wide, the characters occupy the foreground in a restrained procession, paused in a muteness that reveals neither cause nor consequence. Their faces, structured through faceted geometric planes, alternate between cold light and dense shadows as though carved or shielded by ritual masks.
The visual rhythm unfolds through an alternation of gazes that never meet. While some oversized, almond-shaped eyes fixate outside the frame, others drift sideways or conceal themselves behind chromatic half-masks. The palette operates with calculated restraint: deep blues, petrol tones, and lunar grays dominate the surface, broken only by the muted warmth of terracotta, mauve, and dusty rose headpieces that soften the scene's chilled atmosphere.
A physical proximity runs through the bodies, contrasting directly with their psychological distance. Hands rest upon shoulders and chests in subtle gestures of protection or silent condolence, linking the figures in a quiet chain of suspended affection. Near the core of this stillness, one figure cradles a small white creature against their lap, perhaps a feline or a lamb, concentrating the painting's highest point of luminous purity and vulnerability.
The gathering suggests a nocturnal conclave where the sacred and the profane coexist without spectacle. With no temporal anchors or architectural setting to situate the figures, the timeless atmosphere and almost liturgical chiaroscuro transform the encounter into a meditation on collective vigil, communion through quietude, and a shared watch against an uncertainty lurking beyond the frame.
More works by Rafael Fernández
56 works
Available works
- La ReuniónRafael Fernández · 2014
- Siete GatosRafael Fernández · 1970
- El AnilloRafael Fernández · 2014
- Las Artes del FuegoRafael Fernández · 1999
- Diálogo con mi CaballoRafael Fernández · 1979
- La SiestaRafael Fernández · 2015
- El AbanicoRafael Fernández · 2017
- OfrendaRafael Fernández · 2017
- AbstractoRafael Fernández · 2015
- PatríaRafael Fernández · 2015
- Las PapisasRafael Fernández · 2014
- CamilaRafael Fernández · 2005
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