Project title: “ETERNA PRIMAVERA” - Guatemala
Selected for scholarships 2009-2010, Course of Graphic Design, School of Visual Arts, IED Milan

“Eterna Primavera” means eternal spring, which is a name that has been given to my country because of its never-ending spring beauty and liveliness. The colours that predominate in the painting are green and light blue, being the most frequently seen colours in Guatemala, since it has an equatorial climate, and earth that is very favourable for the growth of vegetation.

The most important element of my work is the combination of lively colours that represent the spirit and image of the land I was born in. The vegetables that lie on the table symbolize the fertile lands and the various cultivations that are harvested here; as the woman behind it symbolizes the first natives that habituated the country, and work very hard to make it a better place for their descendants and cohabitants.

As you can see, the woman standing in the middle of the picture is middle aged, which stands for the balance between the old natives that habituated the land before the Spanish conquered America, and the relative youth of Guatemala as a country. In the painting, there are plastic bags and boxes between the vegetables, and they represent the technological advances that have been adopted by my country’s people.

Another thing that symbolizes Guatemala’s spirit is the woman’s concentration and determination in her work. I chose to paint her because I believe that her expression shows the strength and effort my cohabitants put in her work. One of the things the painting shows is the lack of technological advancements in the community since there is no cash register or any device making the work easier.

To me, some of the most beautiful things about my country are its volcanoes and mountains, which I are represented by the height of the table and the elevation of the vegetables. Judging her by her work and clothes, one can tell that the woman in the middle is not of a high economical status, which symbolized Guatemala’s poor economy. The wrinkles on her face show the deterioration my country has been through throughout history, and the different kinds of vegetables also represent all the different kinds of people that live in this wonderful country.

Some say that an image can say more than a thousand words, and I truly believe I was able to express my feelings towards my country and represent the most important, outstanding aspects of it in this painting. Although I didn’t paint any landscapes nor detailed characteristics, I think that the painting symbolizes what my country is: colourful, inspiring and beautiful.