By: Rodolpho Morales

Medium: Screenprint
Year: 1996
Framed Size: 32.25 × 26.25 inches
Image Size: 25.75 × 19.5 inches

A seated woman fills the composition, dressed in brilliant pink and blue against fields of saturated orange, blue, green, red, and white. A ribbon in the colors of the Mexican flag is tied prominently in her hair. Morales reduces the figure and surrounding space to broad, flattened areas of color, while subtle variations in the printed surface give the image warmth and texture.

Women, domestic life, memory, and the culture of Oaxaca recur throughout Morales's work. Here, the frontal pose and simplified forms give the woman a quiet monumentality, while the title—María No Seas Coqueta (“María, Don't Be Coy” or “María, Don't Be Flirtatious”) introduces the affectionate humor characteristic of many of his images.