Photography by: Roberto G. Rivera Sánchez, Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation…

Ensayo

Artist Rafael Ferrer (Puerto Rican, born 1933)

Date1997

Object number2008.2359

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions72 x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
frame: 75 1/4 x 63 1/4 x 2 1/4 in. (191.1 x 160.7 x 5.7 cm)

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.

Collections

Puerto Rican Painting

DescriptionThis work represents Ferrer’s mature period, during which he created paintings that depict daily life and the true conditions of Caribbean communities rather than showing them as tropical paradises. Although the interior of the structure and the child's casual clothing, who looks directly at the viewer, might suggest a domestic or genre scene (or everyday scene), it is difficult to determine the nature of the work or what the characters are doing because the artist provides no further context for the story. Neither the title nor the compositional elements help us interpret the characters’ actions or the story being told, preventing us from imposing fixed or biased narratives about the Caribbean.

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