← ExploreDescription Throughout the 1960s, color became increasingly important in Francisco Coto’s work. In this photograph, movement transforms the lanterns into luminous forms that drift across the darkness, pushing the image toward abstraction. Historical note Costa Rica’s Lantern Parade was officially established in 1953 at the initiative of educator Víctor Manuel Ureña Arguedas, as a celebration intended especially for children. Every September 14, on the eve of Independence Day, children and families take to the streets carrying lanterns that evoke the lights and torches of September 14, 1821, in Guatemala, on the eve of the signing of the Central American Act of Independence. Over time, the tradition spread throughout Costa Rica and became one of the country’s most deeply rooted civic celebrations Keywords small groupchildunposedstandingplayingcarryingholdingabstractionmotion blurlong exposurelight reflectionvisible graindynamism
The Night of the Lanterns
Paseo de las Damas1968Francisco Coto
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