Barrio Escalante, San José

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Querube, by Alma Fernández Tercero. There is a disconcerting stillness in the pale eyes of this face, a limpid blue that suspends any attempt at evasion and instantly anchors the viewer.

Alma Fernández Tercero

QuerubeInquire about availability

Year
2017
Technique
Drawing
Dimensions
26 × 24 cm
Status
Inquire about availability
Palette
pistachio green, burgundy, dark brown, peach, sky blue
Brushwork
Soft blending and sharp line drawing over visible canvas weave, with a grainy finish in the hair.

Curatorial analysis

There is a disconcerting stillness in the pale eyes of this face, a limpid blue that suspends any attempt at evasion and instantly anchors the viewer. Framed by a spherical, granular volume of coiled hair, the female figure stands with the symmetry and composure reminiscent of a Renaissance devotional icon, yet firmly rooted in a decidedly contemporary sensibility. The background, rendered in a flat, luminous pistachio green, isolates the figure within a timeless atmosphere where each element attains an almost ceremonial sharpness.

The construction rests upon a delicate interplay of chromatic and tactile balances. The deep burgundy of the headband and turtleneck acts as a sober, close-fitting frame that heightens the warmth of the skin tone, whose smooth and softly modeled surface contrasts with the organic porosity of the hair. The frontal light produces virtually no harsh shadows; it glides across the bridge of the nose and cheekbones with a subtle gradation that lends the face an almost sculptural quality. To break the rigidity that the strict frontality of the bust might impose, two pale, translucent blossoms trace a subtle diagonal: one tucked among the curls on the right and another resting near the left collarbone. This floral asymmetry introduces an organic breath into an ensemble of precise contours and measured volumes.

Beneath the apparent stillness of the intimate format, the medium settles upon the visible grain of the ground, giving the surface a tactile texture that modulates light without stridency. The dark lips, firmly sealed, along with the arched design of the eyebrows, bestow upon the woman an impassive dignity, distant from drama and laden with interior mystery. The title suggests an angelic or guardian quality; yet here we find neither wings nor traditional celestial attributes, but the quiet authority of an earthly presence whose purity lies in the silent self-sufficiency of her gaze.

Querube

More works by Alma Fernández Tercero

30 works

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View all 30 works by Alma Fernández Tercero

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