Rumblings of the Earth (Rumor de la Tierra) by Wifredo Lam (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Rumor de la Tierra
Source: Guggenheim Museum

I encountered this painting today when I was reading about one of the MET’s current exhibitions: Arte del Mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean. I found it to be a very interesting painting, so I wanted to chat about it. The painting, Rumblings of the Earth, is an outlier in the collection. While every other piece in the exhibition dates to pre-Columbian times, Rumblings of the Earth is modern. In a video posted to the MET’s YouTube channel, curators explain that Rumblings of the Earth was included to demonstrate the legacy of the pre-Columbian art of the Caribbean.

I thought that this was a very salient point. I’ve written before about how art can be used to reclaim Caribbean heritage and challenge the colonial paradigm. Rumblings of the Earth does this by borrowing the visual language of pre-Columbian art and Caribbean culture. The jagged shapes that dot the painting echo the shapes of pre-Columbian pendants and amulets as well as referencing aspects of Afro-Caribbean culture such as Santeria.

Eagle Pendant
Eagle Pendant (from the Arte del Mar Exhibition)
Source: MET Museum
As I read it, these visual connections are a way to highlight the relevance of the Caribbean legacy in modern life. There is a sense of pride in this painting. Cuban artist Wifredo Lam boldly states that pre-Columbian and Afro-Caribbean cultures are valuable. They have something to tell us all about life and how to create meaning in this modern world. There is a sense of pride in Rumblings of the Earth; Lam’s painting draws on the strength and durability of the Caribbean legacy, reminding Caribbean viewers that they stand on the shoulders of countless generations of ancestors. Lam believed strongly in the importance of preserving Caribbean heritage, and that is very clear in Rumblings of the Earth.

From a stylistic perspective, Lam’s piece is very modern. Lam studied in Europe, and his work shows the influence of the Cubist and Surrealist movements. His stylistic approach allows Lam to transcend narrative aspects of painting and focus on the spiritual and psychological landscape.

The MET also notes that Lam drew inspiration for Rumblings of the Earth from Pablo Picsso’s masterpiece Guernica. Guernica depicts the bombing of a Spanish town; it was created to highlight the suffering of the Spanish people during the Spanish civil war. Rumblings of the Earth, on the other hand, touches on the suffering engendered by Spanish colonialism in the Caribbean. As the MET explains, “Lam turned the story into a Caribbean one told through a lens of colonial violence, however, by transforming Picasso’s central victim into the attacker.”

Guernica
Guernica
Source: Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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