THE GLITCH: ALEGORÍA AL INVIERNO (2025)
Oil and gold leaf on polyptych panel, 36 × 48 inches.
Make it stand out.
The Glitch closes the seasonal cycle I painted across four polyptychs, and it is winter. Beneath a dark sky an old hermit holds a book inscribed ANA LOGOS while the world behind him runs on something else. Death raises a pair of scissors over a distracted angel's wings. A chimpanzee sits between Death and Santa Claus. Towering behind the monk, the robot Maria from Fritz Lang's Metropolis holds an hourglass, and a woman in a red skirt leans toward a screen where a pixelated tower is struck by lightning.
Around the central scene run the last fourteen cards of La Isla Lenormand, my Puerto Rican deck, painted from memory and from home: the lilies in front of my grandfather's house, the roofless house under the moon, the old studio key, the Columbus cross in Aguadilla, and a jíbaro holding a black book, painted after my friend and first teacher César Villanueva.
Winter is the season for endings, for memory, and for the question of what comes after collapse. The border between the analog soul and the digital phantom is thin here, and I left it that way.
Make it stand out
Central Composition (Numbered Left to Right, Bottom to Top):
Old Hermit Monk – At the center, he holds an open book inscribed with "ANA LOGOS." He embodies wisdom, reflection, and the analog soul, a counterweight to the algorithmic world.
Distracted Angel (Putto) – Snapping a photo or recording the monk with a mobile phone. Absorbed in the device, he misses the message in front of him.
Death (Skeleton with Robe) – Behind the angel, Death raises scissors, poised to cut the wings. An image of oblivion creeping in unnoticed.
The Devil – Half-lit, pointing at the female droid, gazing at a falling star, which evokes the story of Lucifer and symbolic descent.
Chimpanzee – Between Death and Santa. Raw instinct. Evolution devolved.
Santa Claus – An icon of consumerism, caught in the shadows of myth and manipulation.
Hel (Female Robot from Metropolis) – Towering behind the monk. She holds an hourglass and wears an inverted pentagram, a symbol of reversed spirit, material dominance, and artificial life. A Lady of the Apocalypse heralding the Singularity.
Bridge to Nowhere – Behind Hel and Death. An incomplete arch. Transition without destination. A symbol of failure in communication and connection. Beneath the bridge, the seven-headed beast carries a red-robed woman from the book of Revelations. She embodies corrupted power and excess. Three vultures are perched over the bridge. Ominous watchers. Foretellers of death, decay, and ecological collapse.
Flying Putti (Upper Right) One wears dark shades (The Matrix). Symbol of illusion. Another falls like Icarus, masked. Overreach and downfall. A third holds a torch + iPod, headphones in. Techno-Prometheus, oblivious.
Angel with Trumpet (Upper Left) – Sounds a warning. A direct reference to the Book of Revelation and a tall tower, which is struck by lightning, evoking– Tarot Major Arcana XVI. Collapse of false structures, divine interruption.
Saint Barbara – Holds a cup and sword. Protector against storms and sudden death. Her presence affirms divine resistance. In front of her, Europa on the Golden Bull – Echoes the Rape of Europa and Wall Street’s bull. Seduction by wealth. Myth meets capital.
Fortune Teller Woman – White scarf, slight smile. Holds the Tower card. The only figure facing the viewer calmly. Behind her, a bypass highway, a recurring symbol of modernity and detour.
Black Cat (1) – Next to the fortune teller. References The Matrix's Deja Vu scene. An omen. A second black cat is seen between the angel and Death. A double appearance. The loop repeats.
Winged Muse– Seated with back turned. Half-woman, half-bird. She represents what is above.
Mermaid with Tray – Half-fish, offering a tray with burger, fries, and a drink labeled "Deja Vu." Pop culture meets prophecy. Fast food as fate. Below the mermaid, we see a sliced guava fruit, a Taino symbol of death. Together with the winged muse, they form a duality: celestial and aquatic muses.
Woman with Red Skirt – Leans toward the right, entranced by a glowing screen. Her hand reaches over a mouse; the other partially covers her face.
Screen Showing Pixelated Tower – An image of the lightning-struck tower. Code cascades. Reality as simulation.
Black Sea Devil Fish – Surfaces below. A deep-sea omen. Disturbances rising.
Naked Man (Fetal Position) – Lies in shallow water with seven cables in his spine. Clutches a game controller. A player or a pawn
Make it stand out.
#20 - Card 23: LAS RATAS – Puerto Rican-style depiction with avocados and a wooden mortar (pilón). Symbol of erosion and slow decay.
#21 - Card 24: EL CORAZÓN – Flaming heart over Aguadilla’s Miradero. Sacred emotion and spiritual longing.
#22 - Card 25: EL ANILLO – Hand from the sea holds a ring. Commitment and continuity.
Make it stand out.
#24 - Card 27: LA CARTA – Old phone, pens, and a letter. Memory of communication. Nostalgia and lost contacts.
#23 - Card 26: EL LIBRO – Veiled figure with a closed book marked "A." Hidden knowledge. Mystery yet to unfold.
#25 - Card 28: EL CABALLERO – A Jíbaro man (César Villanueva) holds a black book. A profile of reason.
#25 - Card 28: EL CABALLERO – A Jíbaro man (César Villanueva) holds a black book. A profile of reason.
Make it stand out.
#26 - Card 29: LA DAMA – A Puerto Rican woman holds a seashell. Profile of intuition and feeling.
#27 - Card 30: LOS LIRIOS – White lilies before my grandfather’s house. Purity, peace, memory.
#28 - Card 31: EL SOL – Oxen pull a cart past a sugar refinery. A vision of labor and light.
Make it stand out.
#29 - Card 32: LA LUNA – A roofless house and dead tree under the moon. Abandonment and spiritual ruin.
#31 - Card 34: LOS PECES – A mermaid cradles two fish. Sunset, sadness, and maternal divinity.
#30 - Card 33: LA LLAVE – A hand holding the old studio key. Access to forgotten spaces.
Make it stand out.
