Ruby Aranguiz Valencia: a world of joy and light.

• Author: Mujica, Barbara

Even before we open Isabel Allende's Cuentos de Eva Luna, we are intrigued by the book. The alluring young woman on the cover catches our eye and holds our attention. Reclining sensuously and bathed in light, she is, like so many of Allende's characters, a combination of innocence and provocativeness. Her gaze is frank, steadfast, and even, perhaps, a bit brazen. Her skirt is hiked up to her thighs. Her figure is full and feminine. Still, there is something ingenuous about her. Her lips look as though they were about to turn up into a smile at any moment. Dressed in orange and surrounded by oranges and yellows, she conveys genuine warmth and geniality, as well as potential passion.

The portrait is "La Macarena," an oil painting by the Chilean artist Ruby Aranguiz Valencia. Allende chose paintings by Aranguiz for four of her books: La casa de los espiritus, De amor y de sombra, Eva Luna, and Cuentos de Eva Luna. Aranguiz's work also appeared on the cover of a Spanish textbook written by Maria-Paz Haro, Maria del Carmen Sigler, and Christine H. Bennet.

Known for her highly innovative use of light, Aranguiz has been called a cubist and an impressionist-inspired painter, although her work really defies classification. Art critics have pointed out the influence of Matisse, Cezanne, Gaugin, and Degas in her use of color and form, but there is an exuberance to her paintings that is all her own. Her works include portraits, nudes, still lifes, and landscapes. In many paintings she combines the realistic depiction of objects in warm, vivid colors and pale, dreamy backgrounds. The contrast creates an impression of effusive light. In addition to oils, she works with pastels and serigraphy.

Aranguiz's strong female figures and her mixture of concrete objects and magical, otherwordly effects make her an ideal choice to illustrate Allende's...