Rufina Santana’s paintings unveil a hidden world

Ricardo Chavez // Contributing writer

The ocean has always been a subject of question, as a result of its abysmal vastness and unending beauty. We can only scratch the surface of the immeasurable caverns hidden within the waters, in spite of our attempts to unveil the treasures hidden throughout the depths of the sea.

Rufina Santana utilizes her compelling imagination to convey the power and beauty of the ocean, giving us a glimpse of the marine landscape that may never be uncovered. Her artwork serves as a catalyst through which we may witness the depths of the ocean, too unfathomable for light to even grasp.

Santana was born in Gran Canaria, a destination that is well renowned for the picturesque waters that encase the rugged landscape. It’s upon witnessing the clarity and exuberance of the ocean that Santana’s artistic style began to flourish.  However, “Cartographies of Water,” the exhibition featured within the University, is much more than a mere depiction of the waters surrounding Gran Canaria.


Santana’s artistic imagery is not limited only to the depths of the sea surrounding her homeland. It stretches far beyond what we are susceptible to imagine due to our lack of knowledge about the immenseness of the ocean.

The abstractness depicted throughout Santana’s work emulates our familiarity with the unknown. Her portrayal of the ocean with shadowed hues of azure and streaks of black are striking attempts to display an understanding of the oceanic depths that we may not be able to possess. For Santana, the ocean is a canvas in itself, an opportunity to allow one’s imagination to delve deeper into what could possibly exist within the unending waters that captured her attention as a child.

Rather than denouncing her lack of insight as to what exists beneath the ocean, Santana accepts it. This creates a window of opportunity through which Santana’s artistic imagination can absorb the possibilities of what could be, all while maintaining its level of fruitfulness and creative splendor.

Santana also successfully captures other aspects about the ocean that we ourselves know to be true. For example, her smaller works such as “Las orillas. El Horizonte,” and “Roques,” depict the ocean in a much more peaceful manner, void of any waves and complex hues. However, her larger works of art such as “El viaje del heroe” exemplify the sea’s relentlessness, and expresses the sheer power of the ocean’s waters. As Santana probes deeper into the enigmas of the ocean, her artwork seems to grow in complexity, becoming increasingly intangible as she attempts to expose concepts that no one could possibly comprehend.

What displays Santana’s artistic brilliance is not simply her paintings but her ability to convey a truth. The secrets hidden about this world will never cease to exist, and will continue to be explored, though not entirely understood.

Santana’s exhibition, “Cartographies of Water,” allows onlookers to ponder upon what they believe exists within the depths of the sea by introducing what a young girl once believed was hidden beneath the watery expanse. A young girl born in Gran Canaria, who simply observed the waters that surrounded her home.

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