ABOUT THE WORK

One of the more notable portraitists of high society, Oscar Zalameda captured not only the essence of his subjects but the spirit of the times. In this work, Sailboats, one can see the modern temperament of the artist as he departs from his usual subject matter, choosing to depict a collection of sailboats in what appears to be a night scene. The triangles of the sails are well-lit, smoldering with an otherworldly radiance that gets reflected by the watery surface. What the viewer sees is not so much the material presence of these crafts as their phosphorescent quality, evoked by fast and rapid strokes in the tradition of the Impressionists. Zalameda has preserved a moment of magic for posterity.