Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Alejandro Aróstegui “Cráter Chatarra” Mixed-Media Still Life, 1979
A monumental mixed-media still life on wood by important Nicaraguan modernist Alejandro Aróstegui, titled Cráter Chatarra, or Scrap-Metal Crater. Signed and dated “A. Aróstegui 79” at the upper left, the work retains its original Galería Tagüe label from Managua, Nicaragua.
Aróstegui isolates a single piece of crushed industrial refuse against a nearly black, atmospheric background. The central object remains deliberately ambiguous: it resembles a flattened metal container or commercial satchel, while its broad central seam and divided lower sections also suggest a pair of empty breeches or trousers. Its buckled upper edge folds inward to form the dark concavity identified in the title as a crater.
Red striping and the partial black letter “P” survive across the distressed surface, indicating that the source material—or the object represented—may once have been part of a painted sign, branded sack, industrial container...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Nicaraguan Paintings