The soul of Playa del Carmen 2017

Marina Pallares’s "The Soul of Playa del Carmen" presents us with a captivating modern allegory in oil, where nature and the cosmos intertwine. Observe how the figure is adorned with flowers—symbols of ephemeral beauty and renewal, evoking ancient fertility goddesses. These floral crowns echo throughout art history, from classical depictions of Flora to Renaissance allegories of Spring. But notice the dress: a swirling mass of birds, a motif that flutters through time, reminiscent of ancient myths where birds carry souls to the afterlife. The duality of earthly birds and cosmic fish in her hair connects the terrestrial and celestial realms, a theme resonating with the symbolism of ancient cultures attempting to reconcile life and death. It is an expression of the collective yearning for harmony, a visual echo of mankind's quest to find our place in the grand tapestry of existence.