Description
‘The Capybara and the Toucan’ by Diego de la Rosa
Artist: Diego de la Rosa
Title: ‘The Capybara and the Toucan’
Medium: Oil and acrylic on panel
Dimensions: 10″ x 8″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2023
About the Artwork:
As part of the collection ‘The Game of Animals’, ‘The Capybara and the Toucan’ portrays two of the animal characters that De la Rosa created for the series, which explores the search for hope and meaning in the mystical and unknown. These entities are inspired by the animals found in a popular lottery game from the artist’s home country, Venezuela. The characters are portrayed with a divine and fantastical quality to transform them into magical deities of fortune and hope. The objects located in front of them are a bag of rice and mangoes, two food items treasured by Venezuelans who are facing the impact of the economic crisis. Their placement next to the animals is meant to create a link that emphasizes the fortune they bring along.
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Diego De la Rosa’s work explores the cultural impact of the social crisis in his native country, and relies on symbolism to explore the ideas and sentiments born from this reality. His process involves the collection of found imagery of people and places from Venezuela that are then rearranged into painted narratives full of imaginative elements, such as giants, theatrical atmosphere, and fantastical characters. The source imagery represents the perceived reality, while the painting tactics embody the values and ideas that are employed to create a reading for these circumstances. The use of allegory in his paintings provides an artistic translation of social concepts similar to the interpretative approach of an anthropological study. He uses these painted scenarios to illustrate both the cultural notions surrounding the crisis, and critical theories on frustration, resilience, the desire for change and the search for meaning, which he employs to analyze the subject at hand. Through his work, De la Rosa creates images that universalize issues of identity, resilience, and social struggle, evoking empathy in societies so distant from his own.