This essay by the Spanish critic and painter Antonio Fernández Molina (1927–2005) about the work of Marisol [Escobar] (b. 1930) was published in the literary supplement of the daily newspaper El Nacional in 1971. It was distinctive as the work of a writer who was well-known in Spanish cultural circles, here presenting a foreign point of view that to some extent was alien to her work. Throughout the text, Fernández Molina declares his profound admiration for the work of the U.S./Venezuelan sculptor born in Paris, particularly focusing on the universality of her thinking, evident in the work though new to viewers in Spain. In terms of interpretation and concepts, the essay shows the marked influence of the introduction written by José Ramón Medina for the monograph Marisol (Caracas: Armitano, 1968), published three years earlier. It is clear that this text was the main source used by Fernández Molina; in fact, he even includes quotes from the earlier text. Given that the two were both writers and poets by profession, they have similar styles. As opposed to most critics, who generally place her in the Pop-Art trend, Fernández Molina finds it difficult to classify Marisol’s work. The critic regards her work as going beyond simple classification, since it could be Pop Art, Expressionist or Surrealist, etc.
At the time when this essay was published, there had been no individual exhibition of Marisol’s work in Venezuela; so the Venezuelan viewing public was not yet very familiar with her work.