Congo with Nganga Sarabanda

By J. González (b.1949), Havana, 2001, oil on canvas, 18.5 x 13 inches.

The artist presents a Congo spirit standing behind the nganga or sacred cauldron of Sarabanda, the fierce and strong Palo Monte spirit associated with iron. The ñoca or snake, intimately associated with Sarabanda, slithers toward the cauldron from behind the figure, and, in this composition, defines this foreground as a distinct sacred space. González boldly uses color, giving a fiery appearance to the Congo's rolled up pants, as if they bore a tiger skin pattern.