El Último Centauro - VIGILIA DORADA

GOLDEN VIGIL

Portrait of a dark horse, in profile, with its head turned to the left and ears upright and attentive. It is an image of watchful calm: the gaze, a deep, moist brown, seems fixed on something outside the frame. The coat is worked with cool, grayish reflections on a nearly black base, and a fine edge of warm light runs along the mane, the neck, and the contour of the muzzle, as if the animal were lit from behind.

Behind the head opens a large oval of imitation gold leaf, with a wrinkled and vibrant surface, which frames the horse like a halo or a window of light. In the lower left, the gold blends with a warm reddish veil suggesting a sunset glow. The background is deep black, and at the base silhouettes of branches and leaves are cut out, placing the scene in a nocturnal landscape. The result is an intense contrast between the darkness of the surroundings, the metallic gleam of the oval, and the animal’s naturalism. The imitation metallic leaf adds brightness and texture without recourse to genuine gold.

The piece belongs to the series "Bestiary" by El Último Centauro, dedicated to portraits of horses, bulls, and other creatures, with attention to their presence and symbolic charge.

TECHNICAL DATA
- Artist: Luis González Rodríguez (El Último Centauro)
- Technique: oil and imitation gold leaf on canvas
- Dimensions: 60 x 40 cm (height x width)
- Year: 2026
- Signature: signed at the bottom right with the initials "UC" (the artist’s pseudonym initials El Último Centauro) and dated "26"
- Original and unique work, entirely handmade
- Comes with certificate of authenticity
- Shipped in a professional rigid tube, without frame

ABOUT THE ARTIST
El Último Centauro is the artistic pseudonym of Luis González Rodríguez, under which he develops a body of work focused on animal figures, expressive realism, and symbolism. He trained as a High School Graduate in Plastic Arts at the Professional Academy of Plastic Arts of Las Tunas (2008–2012) and earned a degree in Visual Arts at the University of the Arts of Cuba, ISA (2013–2018). He was a designer and photographer at ISA (2018–2022) and a design teacher in its Restoration Faculty (2018–2019). He has been a member of the Hermanos Saíz Association since 2015 and of UNEAC since 2022.

Among his solo exhibitions are "The Last Ashes" (UNEAC, Las Tunas, 2025), "Instincts" (Las Tunas, 2023), "Dimensions of Presence" (AHS, 2022), "Trance" (AHS, 2020) and "The Grand Salon" (Escena Estudio, Havana, 2018). He has participated in group shows such as "After Dark, the Party Begins" (AHS, 2025), "State of Spirit" (Pabellón Cuba, Havana, 2022), "Pictorial Warning" (ISA, within the framework of the 13th Havana Biennial, 2019), the 7th Cuban Contemporary Art Fair (Havana Old City, 2017) and "Misen en Scene" (ISA, within the framework of the 12th Havana Biennial, 2015).