Nilsa

This work is part of the “Havana Suite” sub-series. This musical term is used to denote giving the same tone to the whole — in this case, the eroticism of the female body, a theme running through the different paintings.

Yet the meaning in this painting goes beyond a given notion of beauty. The painter is spellbound by the beauty of the Cuban women and their representation symbolises a deeper appreciation of Cuba and its people.

Despite its explicit status, the image refers to a number of missing elements. For example, it is easy to imagine the figure gazing at some far point on the horizon. We could indeed identify some of the woman’s vital aspects, given that her posture hints at a certain nostalgia or hesitancy. All this is compatible with the chosen framing and the presence of the Caribbean under a clear blue sky.

In contrast to other works by the artist, the figure’s bounds are not drawn. Instead, he lets a nuanced colour mass, regarding light intensity, create the volumes. This painting therefore breaks with Miró’s drawings and silhouettes of “sharp, very firm profiles” for the figures that were so common in his earlier works (as noted by Floriano De Santi).

The tension in the composition stems from asymmetry and from the position of the protagonist’s hand (shown in the upper right corner), which is the most formally-defined element in the picture. The shadows cast establish the various depth planes, allowing the viewer to recognise the relative positions of the different parts.

Santiago Pastor Vila