Please supply us with your favorite piece of art, what you think of it and why it's your favorite.
My favorite is called "El velorio" or "The Wake." This painting was done by a Puerto Rican artist named Francisco Oller. The painting was painted in 1893. It depicts a ceremonial "party" that is held when a child dies. It is usually a religious gathering.
You can see that everyone seems to be more or less having a good time; they seem almost care free. The exception to this is the old man peering over at the dead child. He seems to be the only one that grasps the tragedy that has occured. The painter seems to be trying to depict how everybody doesn't see it as a tragedy as the child would be ascending to heaven. I think you can assume this since there is a cross over the doorway, a Rosary hanging on the wall, and a cleric standing in the corner. I believe he is mocking the followers of religion for this. Not religion itself, as I'm sure he was at least a Christianl, as many were (and still are) at the time. I believe he is making a point that a death is a tragedy, and not really a cause for celebration, and he mocks religious people for these acts. I'm more inclined to believe this because, if you will follow the gaze of the clergyman, you will find him looking at a long stick with a pig on it held by a man. You will also see a part of the rafters crossing it forming, none other than a cross. I think the dead pig conveys that message a little more. Finally (although this is probably a stretch of my imagination), there are two candles. One is lit and is next to the Rosary, and one is above the priest, and it is not lit. It seems as if this commends prayer (and therefore religion) but casts a shadow on priests (or the people of religion).
This painting is so well done and contains such intricate symbolism, there's no way I couldn't make this as my favorite. So howabout the rest of NSG?
