In 1959 Francisco Rodon finished his first and only watercolor. To date, only one example is known to exist titled “ANA”. The work shows the silhouette of a young woman, with a subtle application of several sparkles in oil. Executed on watercolor paper on masonite.  The curious thing about the painting is the depth that Rodon gets to obtain when applying a type of sfumato where it distorts the plane but does not affect the anatomical details of the face.

 

I find it relatively curious how this work was for many years in the custody of Francisco Rodon until 2017. To date, this is the oldest work that I have been able to analyze by the hand of the artist. It shows an era where the artist was not afraid to experiment with other mediums. Francisco told me in his studio located in San Juan that watercolors is a medium that he never liked to work due to the complex technique, saying that the application and execution must be spontaneous and precise the first time or else the work is ruined in a matter of minutes.

The work is signed on the lower right edge in pencil # 3. On the lower left edge reads unique watercolor “Acuarela Unica”. I like seeing works like these, as they demonstrate different facets of the artist. To this day I found several different media such as wood engraving, drawings, pastels, oil painting, serigraphs, lithographs and finally a single watercolor.

Thanks for reading!!!!

Joey Medrano MD