Barrio Escalante, San José

Visits by appointment only

Schedule a visit (opens the scheduler)
Retrato de Yolanda Oreamuno, by Gonzalo Morales Alvarado. A resounding sobriety governs the sitter's presence, whose gaze avoids any direct confrontation to settle serenely on a point outside the frame.

Gonzalo Morales Alvarado

Retrato de Yolanda OreamunoSold

Year
1934
Technique
Oil/Canvas
Dimensions
96 × 71 cm
Status
Sold
Palette
carbon black, slate gray, flesh ochre, cerulean blue, dark brown
Brushwork
Smooth and modeled brushwork in the flesh tones, combined with dense color planes and subtly scumbled backgrounds.

Curatorial analysis

A resounding sobriety governs the sitter's presence, whose gaze avoids any direct confrontation to settle serenely on a point outside the frame. There is in this gesture a calculated distance, a reflective restraint that eschews easy sentimentality and anchors the center of gravity in the physiognomy, defined by sharply arched brows of almost graphic precision, crisp cheekbones, and a mouth rendered in strict contours that concentrates the contained tension of the face.

The body is structured around a large block of black that absorbs the lower portion of the canvas. Rather than dissolving the figure into shadow, this dark expanse functions as a sculptural pedestal, interrupted only by the geometric openings across the shoulders that reveal the warmth of the skin. The boldest chromatic counterpoint occurs on the back of the chair, where a rectangle of vibrant, intense blue disrupts the subdued atmosphere to offer an unexpected locus of light. Arranged around this luminous accent are the hands, slender and stylized, whose elongated fingers rest with a tense serenity, guarding the wood as though weighing their own presence.

The background, executed in gradations of leaden and greenish grey with a subtly scumbled and veiled texture, suspends the sitter in a space devoid of domestic anecdotes or explicit temporal references. Nothing competes with the human figure or detracts from its rigorous architecture. Lateral lighting models the flesh through subtle gradations, underscoring the smoothness of the neck and the curve of the dark hair, gathered back into a compact mass. Morales Alvarado dispenses with superfluous ornaments to craft a portrait where formal dignity and psychological reserve coexist, transforming the likeness into a profound study of introspection, modernity, and resolve.

Retrato de Yolanda Oreamuno

More works by Gonzalo Morales Alvarado

4 works

Available works

Inquire about availability

Sold and historical

Similar works

By subject, palette and style

Message the gallery on WhatsApp

Cookies

We use cookies to learn how the site is used and to show the gallery's ads on other platforms. They are only turned on if you accept them.