Soñador III (Apetitos e instintos)
Artist
Ralph DeRomero Rivera
(1946-2000)
Date1983
Object number2011.2606
Mediumacrylic on canvas
Dimensions40 x 60 in. (101.6 x 152.4 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Gift of Lizza Robles in memory of Ralph DeRomero Rivera
Collections
DescriptionA distorted human figure lies in a fetal position. Where the head should be, a piece of cloth—resembling the collar of a sweater—hugs the upper part of the figure's anatomy like a straitjacket. In 1967, DeRomero Rivera wrote his "Manifesto on Existence," which expresses his desire to live in his own world, eschewing imposed social norms: "a crime [to] which I must [submit] without being naked as my mother brought me into the world is a crime that the man who destroys cities [imposes?] on me, just as he seizes my dreams." It is possible to interpret this painting as an illustration of such a statement: forcibly tied and without a head that allows it to see, hear, and think on its own, the figure is deprived of its dreams and its world.
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