“Con la mano elevada” is a mixed-media work on paper signed de O., presenting a figure rendered with bold chromatic contrasts and a strong graphic structure. Measuring 63 × 47 cm, the composition focuses on the expressive potential of posture and gesture. The subject appears crouched, one hand raised, creating a dynamic interplay between tension and containment that aligns with Costus’s characteristic exploration of stylized figuration. The reduced palette—dominated by intense yellows and reds—heightens the immediacy of the form while emphasizing the silhouette’s clarity.
The use of mixed media on paper introduces a tactile quality, allowing the artist to combine layered textures, varied pigment densities, and both fluid and controlled strokes. Paper as a support grants a direct responsiveness to the medium, producing edges, marks, and tonal transitions that would read differently on canvas. In this piece, the materiality enhances the figure’s presence, making the surface itself an active component of the image. The contrast between the luminous figure and the saturated background generates a visual rhythm that draws the viewer’s attention to the central gesture: the elevated hand, which becomes the anchoring motif of the composition.
Technically, Con la mano elevada demonstrates Costus’s disciplined approach to economy of form. The figure is simplified yet structurally precise, created through decisive contouring and fields of color that serve as both volume and symbol. This refined balance between abstraction and representation is a defining feature of the duo’s paper works, where the immediacy of the medium encourages essential, non-superfluous mark-making. The signature de O. places the piece within the collaborative framework of the Costus partnership, enriching its documentary value within their broader production.
For collectors, the work represents a compelling example of Costus’s graphic vocabulary applied to a medium that captures spontaneity and intention with equal force. Its dimensions make it suitable for both intimate display and inclusion within curated selections focused on Spanish contemporary art, figurative experimentation, or late-20th-century visual culture. The strength of the silhouette, the clarity of the gesture, and the chromatic impact align it with the duo’s most recognizable aesthetic strategies.
Ultimately, Con la mano elevada distills Costus’s visual language into a composition where gesture, color, and form converge to produce a figure that is immediate, symbolic, and visually assertive. The work exemplifies the precision and artistic identity that define the duo’s production on paper.
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