Flora 2019

Carlos Sablòn painted this work, titled Flora, with oils on canvas in the 21st century. Sablòn calls on a classical theme in Western art, that of Flora, the Roman goddess of springtime and flowers. The image of Flora creates meaning through a dense array of visual codes alluding to nature’s bounty. The cultural references and historical associations here reflect a timeless connection between the earth’s fertility and female beauty. The goddess is reimagined in the twenty-first century with contemporary visual styles and cultural values. Does this artwork, made in our time, comment on the social structures of its own time? The abundance of vegetative life stands as a metaphor for the promise of growth, transformation, and renewal, a visual idea that is neither conservative nor progressive per se, but nonetheless speaks to fundamental hopes and aspirations. The historian might research the artist’s other work, along with any statements they have made about their intentions, to understand it better.