Saturday, November 4, 2017

Imagine my surprise...

...when I saw an image of a painting put up by CBD, one of the co-bloggers at Ace of Spades, the original of which used to hang over the fireplace in the den of the house owned by my late father- and mother-in-law.



The name of the painting is Vuelta de la Pesca and the artist is José Mongrell. Mrs. Paco recently settled her late father's estate, and the painting was sold through Sotheby's.

CBD asks, "Does this scene evoke anything odd and puzzling in anyone?" It does, for me. The painting always puts me in mind of John Steinbeck's tragic novel, The Pearl, about a Mexican pearl diver who finds a pearl of unusually great value, but who is plagued by envious neighbors and a chiseling buyer. He decides to set off with his wife and child for the capital to sell the pearl, but he is tracked by three men, whom he eventually kills. The climactic scene is one of shocking horror, so, if you decide to read the book, be prepared.

5 comments:

bruce said...

I read Steinbeck's shorter works as a teenager and was impressed, incl The Pearl.

But the picture is puzzling. The guy looks angry but maybe it's shame at having to beg for food. Yet he isn't desperate enough for that, looks more like 'pay up!'. But then the clinging daughter makes that unlikely. ??

Deborah said...

The first thing that came to mind is that it is a traditional famuily.

RebeccaH said...

I remember reading The Pearl. At one time or another, I read nearly all of Steinbeck, and what a difference a couple of generations make for California.

The English translation for that painting is Return from Fishing. So the man is obviously a fisherman who has come home, possibly empty-handed, or maybe he's just telling his family about the trip.

Paco said...

If he were an American fisherman, he'd be spreading his hands two feet apart and talking about the one that got away.

JeffS said...

Before I read Rebecca's post, it seemed to me that the man was telling a story, or perhaps discussing something with the woman. Recounting his labors of the day out on the water seems appropriate. Fishing is always hard, and sometimes hazardous, hence the look of satisfaction on the man.