El Picador is a playful subject about bullfight practice. The idea recalls my childhood, when I spent Sunday afternoons at home, having lunch with my family and watching the bullfights on TV.
Domes from the church no longer exist. The fire burned down the domes many years ago. The place dates from colonial times in Ecuador. All along. The Picador stands for its endurance through time; looking back at this painting makes me see in perspective the evolution of my artwork. The patterns are my source of communicating the meaning of each painting.
This early subject has many components in parallelism. Andrea Mantegna’s stage composition inspired it. It beholds the mood in the arrangement; one object holds to the other as thought fragments. Although the Picador is the main subject, the direction he points out with the spear to the kids signals a game. Then, images bounce back, and your eye begins watching encircling images from many angles.
The hung meat symbolizes the end of the animal; it is cruel and fatalist because it could be the Picador, who may be dead in the end. Notice that the Picador horse is a ceramic made from the ancient Incas. Overall, blue colors fill the sky and, in part, reflect the tonality on the church wall. Still, Sepia dominates most of the painting to recap the idea of an old, not-forgotten time.
This reminds me of a time of freedom, innocence, and enjoyment. It is in our nature to feel free to connect with our memories and wish those moments return. In short, the images continuously trigger the mind in our consciousness to remind us of the moment.
