El Arbol de los Despojados by Augusto Marin (Interpretation and Analysis)

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El Arbol de los Despojados Augusto Marin
El Arbol de los Despojados
Source: La Fundación de las Artes Augusto Marín
Without a doubt, Augusto Marín is one of the most important and famous Puerto Rican artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Although his style tends toward abstraction, Marín’s paintings often draw inspiration from more traditional themes and famed pieces of Western art.

This drawing, entitled El Arbol de los Despojados (which translates to The Tree of the Bereft) is one such example of this phenomenon. As the title suggests, the drawing depicts a tree that appears to be composed of the twisted bodies of human beings. At the top of the tree, a horned figure (which appears to represent the Devil) stretches his arms up to the sky. The disembodied head of a horse lays behind him.

El Arbol de los Despojados is undoubtedly strange and sinister, but it has its roots in the idea of the Tree of Life, a mythological idea prevalent in Western art (and in art around the world). Generally, the Tree of Life represents the connections that exist between all living things. Here, Marín has turned that idea on its head. El Arbol de los Despojados represents the dark side of life, death and despair. Yet, even here, we see a glimmer of hope. Marín’s drawing is a reminder that all humans experience darkness in their lives, yet it is these difficulties that unite us on a deep level.

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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