Rose for the sincere friend

At Roselle Gallery, we are proud to present "Rosa para el amigo sincero" (A Rose for the Sincere Friend), a painting of overwhelming sensitivity where master Esteban Machado Díaz transcends the borders of time to orchestrate a magical encounter between two immortal souls of our history: Frida Kahlo and the poet José Martí.

In this vibrant canvas, we find a majestic Frida, depicted full-length in her traditional Mexican attire. She stands over a field of immense greenery, framed by majestic royal palms. In her right hand, she holds the element that gives meaning to the entire work: a delicate white rose. This gesture is a direct poetic bridge to the famous verse of the Cuban apostle, who cultivated this flower as the supreme offering for "the sincere friend."

Guarding the scene from the foliage, the serene figure of Martí holds his own white rose, creating a silent and eternal dialogue with the painter. The genius of Machado Díaz lies in how he intertwines the vision of both geniuses. Frida used to say she painted flowers so they would never die; here, the artist paints Martí's roses in Frida's hands and crown to ensure that loyalty never withers. Together, they become fervent ambassadors of a universal message: that sincere friendship is a virtue that elevates the spirit and must be protected no matter what.

Frida represented in full body, dressed in her traditional clothing with shawl, carrying a white rose in her right hand, posing in a field
of immense greenery and spiritually guarded by the image and legacy poet José Martí, growing a white rose for a sincere friend.

She is a Frida that evokes friendship beyond creeds, cultures and regions, the sincere friendship that elevates the spirit and exalts the soul. In Frida's words “I paint flowers so that they do not die”. With this work we exalt cultivating friendship so that it does not become extinct, so that love is the first law. In Martí's words "Friendship is more difficult and rarer than love. Therefore, we have to protect it no matter what." With this work we leave testimony of the salvation of friendship, regardless of living in different times, they were fervent defenders of love and friendship, a uniting point of our cultures and regions.

— E. Machado