Cyclist #4

“Cyclist #4” (2019) shares elements of the much larger work Jorge Blanco created for a recreation center in Park City, Utah in 2013. His moon-faced character is in yellow, a color associated with happiness, spontaneity and sunshine, while the bicycle he rides is in red, a color associated with activity, drive, and vigor. Once again, Blanco’s ability to convey movement even in static forms is apparent, as the figure hunches over, feeling the wind in his non-existent ears, his legs pumping furiously. The spokes of the bicycle are unseen, and the fork, seat stay, and top tube seems to float in mid-air, indicating the blur of the space within the wheels as he races along at top speed. The sand-colored shape he rides on is like a circle with sharp angles, an infinity symbol warped in multiple dimensions that is both playful and deep.