Death Portrait....

Last week I made a visit to the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA). The museum was relatively big and offered a huge array of pieces and exhibits. There was one though that stood out in my opinion. The piece I chose was on the 4^th floor which was the European Section. It was a painting by Agustin Esteve entitled Four Children. It is oil on canvas, 97 inches by 23 inches, and was painted in the late 18 century. The painting depicts four children in an unsettling forest setting, where it is dark. The child in the middle is dressed in all black with a bird in his hand, he is being led somewhere by two younger children. Off to the far right is a young girl dressed in her Sunday best with a flower and black pendent in her left hand and a ribbon on her chest. The description of the painting says that the young man dressed in black is dead and this painting is of his memory.

The bird in his hand is a European Goldfinch which is a symbol of the departed spirit. He is being ushered away from this world into the after life by the two boys. The girl to the far right is the boy’s sister and she looks very terrified in light of the passing of her brother. She has an oval relicario which contains a lock of her dead brother’s hair. The black bow she has on indicates that she is in mourning. The background is completely dark with the combine usage of blacks and greys making the trees and sky undistinguishable at times. With regards to the dead boys wardrobe (completely black), the other children are portrayed with pale / ruby red skin. Their clothes are well lit too. Even the dead boy’s face is bright (probably the palest of everybody). Because Agustin made the background so dark it is hard to distinguish where the floor really is, it seems as though they are floating in air. Agustin Esteve was famous for his life like portraits especially those of children. I chose this painting because of the subject matter and how it dealt with children. The expression on the dead boys face is haunting. It is a serious, haunting, scared, mature look that made an impression on me. This young boy is expressing so much fear and pain for his age that looking at it makes me feel sorry for him. That is why I chose it.