A woman draws a woman. And recreation, in a way, is recognition. A declaration of principles. A tribute.
In 1936, before consolidating the style that immortalized her in the visual arts scene, Amelia Peláez made this drawing. Pencil on paper, command of the line. Certain influences are evident, but what first fascinates is the delicacy of the line.
The theme of seamstresses is common in Cuban plastic arts. More than one artist left his testimony of women bent over the sewing machine.
Amelia Peláez’s is not a belligerent vision, it does not seem (at first sight) a vindication. The projection of the character is serene. And at the same time, she is powerful.
Note the volume of the arms, the size of the bare feet. This woman could hold a world. And yet, she is circumscribed to a rather intimate sphere. The area to which she used to limit herself to women.
But there were always pioneers. Women who pushed limits, crossed borders. Amelia among them.
This drawing could be the metaphor of a potential. It is more than a delight in the smoothness of the curve, it is the reaffirmation of a will. The woman is not only the source and the flower. She is also trunk and fruit.
