Mangos 2020

Luis Álvarez Roure made this still life called ‘Mangos’ with oil on canvas. He's a contemporary Puerto Rican artist whose work often evokes a sense of cultural and historical memory. The choice of mangos might seem simple, but think about the context. Puerto Rico, like many Caribbean islands, has a history deeply intertwined with agriculture, trade, and colonialism. The mango, a fruit now common in Puerto Rico, arrived there through these global exchanges. The painting’s minimalist style, with its emphasis on light and shadow, seems to strip away the layers of history, inviting us to contemplate these objects outside of any specific narrative. Álvarez Roure is a professor at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas y Diseño de Puerto Rico, so his artistic practice exists alongside his role within an art institution. Understanding the socio-political and economic structures in Puerto Rico could definitely enrich the way we see this painting. If you want to explore the social conditions that have shaped Álvarez Roure’s work, you could look into studies of Caribbean art or post-colonial Puerto Rican history.