Nihil versus Lux Mundi: o nada e a luz do mundo no branco barroco em Lux de Rosalía

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between contemporary Baroque art and the color white in the album Lux by Rosalía, a Spanish artist who produces hybrid and peculiar pop music. Such work explores a lyrical persona hovering between the imaterial and the palpable, inspired by hagiographies and philosophical leanings. The elements examined—Baroque icons, the prominence of white in the color palette, and the interplay between them—were drawn from this metaphysical theme, specifically through the dichotomies represented by the period and the color in question. The focus will be on the aesthetic aspect of Lux, with the analysis of three images. The methodology encompasses qualitative bibliographic research, of an exploratory and critical-analytical nature, based on documents that address theoretical-comparative studies; such as, for example, authors who dissect the Baroque as a historical, cultural, and aesthetic movement: Camille Paglia, Vítor Manuel de Aguiar e Silva, E.H. Gombrich, Mairi Mackenzie, and Severo Sarduy. The study of color will be conducted through semiotics and psychology, as explored by Eva Heller. Throughout the analysis, the perception of Baroque signs and white components as being laden with dualities was achieved, and how these are not purely opposites, rather a part of a constellation of symbolism not only in Rosalía's work, but also in the very origins of the period and representations of color.