Figure of a Man by Juan Gonzalez: Watercolor on Paper; "Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca"

A skull floats over a white rose, and the trees along the horizon stay politely small.

This watercolor on paper, Figure of a Man, titled "Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca," is by Juan Gonzalez (Spanish, b. 1950), around 1988. The title echoes the opening line of a well-known poem by the Cuban writer Jose Marti, about cultivating a white rose for friend and enemy alike. A pale, nearly empty sheet holds a small skull near the top. Below it, a long cloth banner hangs down bearing a single white rose on a green stem. A thin band of palms and trees runs along the bottom edge. It is 22 inches wide and 30 high.

Quiet, precise, and not entirely cheerful.