This work by Querubim Lapa was produced when he was finishing his sculpture degree and beginning a more regular activity as a ceramist. Although some traces of his connection to the Neo-Realist movement are visible, one can note already in this piece the announcement of an aesthetic liberation that would later characterise his work.

The narrative, reduced to its essentials and without a concrete or perfectly identifiable action, is structured around the two women with swans, probably two bird sellers. The theme is linked to the celebration of life, women, and nature. It fits into the artist's thematic lexicon, socially informed and simultaneously embedded in a strong iconic sense based on his interest in signs and in the universe of classical mythology.

The treatment of the human figure is marked by formal stylisation. The disproportion of the limbs, the planned volumes, and the simplification of the elements that define both faces are noteworthy features in the picture. The wavy drawing with secure and expressive lines generates prominent or interconnected forms that confer movement to the scene. The pictorial composition is organised on two planes of representation: that of the figures - the two women with the birds - and that of the background, inhabited by floral and abstract elements. The contrast between the two planes is highlighted by the treatment of light and darkness, opacity and transparency, which also reinforces the dynamism and organic nature of the work. In opposition, the chromatic palette of earthy and sombre tones gives some seriousness, drama, and tension to the whole scene.

JB