A Puerto Rican woman with a light beige skin tone sits frontally against a wall of pale gray-and-tan diamond tiles. Her long, straight black hair spreads like a dark halo, framing a high forehead and almost heart-shaped face. She has large, almond-shaped blue eyes ringed with teal shadow and long lashes, slim brows, a small nose, and bright red lips that curve into a gentle smile. Yellow and blush-pink roses with green leaves tuck into her hair and cluster at her shoulders and hands, suggesting fragrance and movement around her body. She wears a deep crimson gown with wide sleeves and a deep square neckline, its bodice densely patterned with lacy pinks, blacks, and metallic touches. A delicate green-bead necklace arcs across her neck. Her hands, with softly tapered fingers and pale pink nails, rest calmly at the bottom edge, anchoring the richly colored figure against a dark blue band below. Puerto Rican artist Marta Pérez paints herself as both a specific woman and a fantasy figure, stylizing her own features into an almost doll-like, angelic presence surrounded by tropical flowers. Created in 1980, when she was turning from teaching to painting full-time in Old San Juan, the work reflects her interest in exuberant color, allegory, and femininity. The lush roses and ornamental dress echo the “celebratory and critical” vision she described as art that moves viewers toward laughter and peace while still questioning social norms. Descended from Basque, Jewish, Greek, and Irish forebears and active in the Asociación de Mujeres Artistas de Puerto Rico, Pérez often fused multicultural references, carnival spirit, and sacred overtones. Here, her self-portrait becomes an icon of Caribbean womanhood that is glamorous, introspective, and firmly centered in her own imagined paradise.
“Autorretrato (Self-Portrait)” by Marta Pérez (Puerto Rican) - Acrylic on wood / 1980 - Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (San Juan) #WomenInArt #MartaPerez #MartaPérez #MuseoDeArteDePuertoRico #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #art #artText #arte #SelfPortrait #PuertoRicanArt #PuertoRicanArtist
