Barrio Escalante, San José

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Pausa en el parque, by José Alejandro Herrera. An elderly face, carved into the living fiber of a monumental tree, yawns or exhales a quiet breath along the right flank of the canvas.
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José Alejandro Herrera

Pausa en el parqueInquire about availability

Year
2023
Technique
Acrylic/Canvas
Dimensions
50 × 50 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
bark brown, forest green, vermilion red, cobalt blue, asphalt gray
Brushwork
Precise graphic linework with uniform layers of acrylic and linear textures defining the foliage, wood, and pavement.

Curatorial analysis

An elderly face, carved into the living fiber of a monumental tree, yawns or exhales a quiet breath along the right flank of the canvas. From this colossal trunk springs a canopy of branches that overtakes the upper plane, serving as an organic bridge between wild nature and the rough textures of neighborhood life. Under its shelter rests a human figure, nearly hidden behind the bark’s features, suggesting a silent merger between an exhausted body and wood.

The composition is split between two colliding yet coexisting forces. On the right, the natural order of the park prevails, guarded by a cohort of squirrels, a watchful owl, and a wide-eyed cat perched atop the concrete bench. To the left breaks the neighborhood topography: cracked sidewalks, manhole covers, corrugated tin roofs, and a man pushing or washing a red car in front of his garage. These architectural diagonals, handled in resolute blues and cement tones, create tension against the sinuous curves of the tree trunk and dense foliage.

Light emanates from a horizon ablaze with reds and oranges, a crepuscular strip framing the canopy and saturating the urban background. Alejandro Herrera employs a clean touch akin to graphic art and illustration, where precise black outlines define the rugged textures of tree bark, broken asphalt, and bristling animal fur with meticulous care.

This dialogue between urban potholes and complicit wildlife turns an ordinary pause into a tale of magical realism. The piece suggests that stillness does not require fleeing the city, but rather lies in finding, amidst concrete and domestic bustle, a living shelter where nature still breathes, observes, and keeps the passerby company.

Pausa en el parque

More works by José Alejandro Herrera

66 works

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View all 66 works by José Alejandro Herrera

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