"The sculpture of the Fandiño Ricart sisters, by César Lombera, was damaged again by graffiti. On this occasion, the act of vandalism has less impact than on other occasions and only affects the palm of Maruxa's hand, which is extended. A red blur, like a target, is the new attack against the sculpture that honors the two women at the entrance to the Alameda park from Porta Faxeira.
The authors of this graffiti not only damaged the figure, but also the podium on which the plaque is located, which contains the explanations of who the Marías were and the reason for the sculpture. The paint was also used to "decorate" the pole that holds the poster of the "Colecamiño" initiative, which invites schoolchildren to walk to school to reduce the use of private cars and carry out a healthy activity.
The sculpture of the Marys has accumulated problems almost since its installation, and there have been many episodes of graffiti and damage to the figure. The previous one was a few weeks ago, when it was detected that the paint on Coralia's eyebrow had chipped off, possibly due to a blow or a stone. For now it has not been repaired and it is expected that it will be used to remove all the damage at the same time.
The worst moment for Lombera's sculpture was in 2013, when vandals painted the faces of the two Fandiño Ricards gold. The recovery involved an expense of 2,000 euros for the Consortium, which financed the recovery of the sculpture. César Lombera dedicated several days of work to remove the paint and return the color to Coralia and Maruxa's faces.
The sculpture that pays tribute to the two women survivors of Franco's repression after the Civil War, was placed in 1994. In these twenty-five years, the sculptural attire of the Marías underwent studied color changes, always following the data obtained from the photographs of the time. Initially, red was the dominant color in the two suits, which was combined with white and black. In 2006, blue was added to Maruxa's coat. Years later she would change the black dress with Coralia flowers for another with a white background in which the flowers remained.
The most radical change occurred last spring, when Coralia's outfit became, in the hands of Lombera, yellow and red, which, added to the purple of her umbrella, completed the nod to the republican ideology that both professed."
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