La Portada Monument

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Art · Subcategory: Sculpture · Year: 1997 · Authors: Máximo Riol

This is undoubtedly the most popular and well known monument by Máximo Riol. La Portada is so called because of its classical porch shape, and is located in one of the main roundabouts on the Avenida Marítima. The sculpture is derived from the Romanic Series, and its isolated geometric elements have been used by Riol to construct cohesive urban and cultural comparisons, representing an aesthetic high point in majestic cultural lines. At the same time, the monument is an announcement of a new direction towards figuration and neo-Baroque styles, present in the unique twisting carved into its volumetrics. It is the artist's tallest monument, and is faced in such a way that it offers a radial perspective. The two side columns holding up the Romanic arch depict two eclipses that straighten out at the end, starting at a trapezoidal width. The arch is similarly curved, acting as a half bent hinge that adjoins the two enormous columns. Its Romanic style has been subjected to a dynamic process by the curve that gives it its Baroque identity.

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