This diptych presents an opposing dynamic of 2 classic symbols of Spanish culture. One is a sensitive narrative about the relationship between and human and animal while the other represents a traditional spectacle of a fight to the death between human-versus-animal.
The donkey figure represents Platero, the main character of the lyrical prose Platero y Yo (Spanish for Platero and I), one of the most popular works by the famous Spanish poet and writer, Juan Ramón Jiménez's (1881-1958) winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956. The little donkey in the story is a symbol of tenderness, purity and naivete, and is used by the author as a means of reflection about the simple joys of life, memories, and a sensitive relationship between man and beast.
The matador figure is a self-portrait. The figure, which is removing the hat of the costume, reflects on the customs and traditions we embrace and honour and those that we challenge due to their cruelty and inhumane nature.