Barrio Escalante, San José

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La Taza de Té, by José Miguel Rojas. The weight of the scene does not rest on the infusion promised by the title, but on the overwhelming lack of communication that separates the two figures.

José Miguel Rojas

La Taza de TéInquire about availability

Year
2000
Technique
Screen Print
Dimensions
56 × 43 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
earth brown, slate blue, peach, sky blue, off-white
Brushwork
Screen-printed planes of flat color in tension with graphic washes and expressive line drawing.

Curatorial analysis

The weight of the scene does not rest on the infusion promised by the title, but on the overwhelming lack of communication that separates the two figures. On the right, a burly man cropped facelessly by the upper edge wears an earthy brown suit, holding a cup of tea and a spoon with meticulous poise. On the left, a woman in a light blue slip and black bra leans languidly against a vertical plane, her gaze distant and her hand tugging at the hem of her fabric. Between them, domestic silence is not a respite, but a thick psychological barrier.

The graphic construction rests upon a severe geometric partitioning of space. The background is divided into flat planes of ash blue, white, and a peach-toned floor that frame the encounter within an environment stripped of any decorative anecdote. This compositional rigor contrasts vividly with the carnal vulnerability of the female figure, outlined with swift black marks and brownish shadows over pale skin. While he is an opaque mass, nearly an architectural block asserting his presence through the sheer volume of his silhouette, she embodies an exposed fragility, evoked by the veiled transparencies of her garment and a tilted posture that avoids confrontation.

Through the screenprinting medium, Rojas meters the ink layers to establish disparate levels of density: the almost porous texture of the man's suit converses with the watery, trembling washes that model the woman's body. The teacup, diminutive in contrast to the server's scale, functions as the sole visible narrative knot, a ritual pretext that fails to bridge their connection. The scene thus crystallizes a latent tension in which power, vulnerability, and routine coexist suspended in a moment of eloquent estrangement.

La Taza de Té

More works by José Miguel Rojas

21 works

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View all 21 works by José Miguel Rojas

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