Winter
Juan Lascano
,Oil on canvas, 153 × 113cm.
The scene that Invierno (Winter) offers is one of Juan Lascano’s favorite themes. Along with still life and landscape, the human figure allowed him to exercise the full extent of his craft. In this oil painting, the female figure reclining on the couch in the foreground dominates the entire scene. The serene intimacy of the situation is completed by the books and fireplace with burning logs in the background. The act of reading, symbolized by the books, reinforces the intimate feel of the painting. The heat of the burning fire, given the title of the work, turns into the refuge from the cold that is presumed to exist outside. The soft texture of the carpet adds to the sensation of shelter. The woman seems to rest beneath the coverlet’s protection, but there is a certain ambiguity in the pose that refers back to the act of painting, to the model who offers herself to be painted by the artist. The figure with her invited pose is one more element, like the books and the couch, in assembling a composition. As is the case with a painting of a canteen, it is the artist himself who carefully situates each part in order to maintain the harmony of the whole. The virtuous handling of the artist’s craft can be appreciated in every part of the work, but especially in the treatment of the model’s skin, in the subtlety of the flesh, which seems to breathe under the light that envelops her. The folds of the cloth that covers the woman’s body are also magnificently elaborated.