Viernes de Dolores by María Izquierdo (Interpretation and Analysis)

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Viernes de Dolores
Source: Google Arts and Culture
When it comes to discussions about Mexican art, the name of painter María Izquierdo is often overlooked. Her art was under-appreciated during her own life and continued to be under-appreciated after her death; it is only recently that art historians have begun to recognize and acknowledge the importance of her work.

Izquierdo’s art was uniquely Mexican. She ought to capture the heart and soul of Mexican culture and customs in her paintings, celebrating the lives of Mexico’s ordinary people. She accomplished this through a Modernist, semi-Surrealist style that allowed her to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas without the constraints of Realism.

Viernes de Dolores (which translates to Sorrowful Friday) is one of her most famous paintings and is an excellent example of her commitment to portraying Mexico and Mexican culture. According to my research, the painting depicts an altar created for the commemoration of the seven sorrows of the Virgin, which traditionally takes place on the final Friday of Lent in Mexico. Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian calendar, and in the Catholic faith, the season of Easter and Lent is commonly associated with complex religious rituals and processions.

In Mexico, the faithful traditionally create altars to recognize the sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Izquierdo’s imaginary, painted altar contains offerings of fruit, wheat, and flowers, carefully and reverently displayed. A painting of Our Lady of Sorrows—one of the aspects of the Virgin Mary—looks down upon the offerings. Izquierdo’s bright color palette and unconventional approach to space and depth mark the painting as a modern interpretation of this centuries-old tradition. The subject was obviously deeply inspiring to Izquierdo, and she returned to it many times.

Although Viernes de Dolores is an obviously religious painting, Izquierdo does not approach the subject in particularly pious or reverent way. Rather, she took a Modernist approach to the piece and used it to explore the intensely personal, spiritual energy of devotion. It is an inward looking painting, inviting the viewer to enter a private dialogue with the piece.

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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