Barrio Escalante, San José

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Mi Chiquito, by Leda Astorga. An earthly serenity defines the sitting posture of this child, whose physical presence claims the space through a solid pyramidal base.
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Leda Astorga

Mi ChiquitoInquire about availability

Year
2014
Technique
Polychrome Marble Resin
Dimensions
55 × 42 × 40 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
warm flesh, ebony, reddish brown, plaster white, slate gray
Brushwork
Sculpted in the round with tactile roughing and polychromy nuanced through washes that enhance the grain of the material.

Curatorial analysis

An earthly serenity defines the sitting posture of this child, whose physical presence claims the space through a solid pyramidal base. Cross-legged directly on the ground plane, the body exhibits an affectionate, decisive weight. The composition is structured along an ascending axis of affections: at the lower threshold, a small dog with an alert gaze acts as a frontal guardian; on the lap, the child's hands firmly and tenderly cradle a dark rabbit; and crowning the structure, the face tilts toward an oblique light, projecting an open smile that resists sculptural stiffness.

The polychrome cast marble lends the surface a mineral density softened by pictorial washes. The flesh tones are neither slick nor antiseptic; they display earthy textures and deliberate scuffs that grant tactile volume to the plump limbs and skin folds. A calculated chromatic contrast emerges between the warm tones of the skin, the weathered white of the undershirt, and the dark masses of hair and animals, resolving the scene with an economical palette vibrant with everyday vitality.

The interplay of gazes disrupts the frontal symmetry of the grouping. While the canine directly seeks visual contact with the viewer, the child turns his attention upward and outward, instilling the work with immediate psychological dynamism. This dispersion of focal points suggests an intimate narrative suspended in the ease of an ordinary afternoon, where simple play and animal companionship define the whole universe.

Rather than relying on ethereal idealizations, the modeling accentuates the heavy, grounded limbs, bare feet resting on the floor plane, and fleshy facial features. It stands as an authentic celebration of child physicality and primal affection, captured with a volumetric gravity that transforms an everyday moment into enduring sculptural form.

Mi Chiquito

More works by Leda Astorga

15 works

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View all 15 works by Leda Astorga

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