My Favorite Paintings of the Year

2020 is over! I’m sure we’re all rejoicing that this difficult year is over. However, despite all the problems that 2020 created, I also had a great time exploring art over the past year. I’ve discussed 365 pieces of art in the past 365 days, so, today, I want to recap the year by talking about some of my favorite paintings that I’ve covered in the past year. Without further ado, let’s dive in. Happy New Year!

1. El Velorio by Francisco Oller - I can clearly remember the first time I saw Francisco Oller’s masterpiece El Velorio. A print of the famous piece was hanging on the wall of a Puerto Rican funeral home that I visited after the death of a relative. My mother identified the painting in passing, telling me that it was very famous. I later researched the painting on my own, and it has been one of my favorites ever since. El Velorio is one of the most famous pieces of art in Puerto Rico. Measuring eight by thirteen feet, El Velorio (which literally translates to The Wake) is truly a monumental work. It portrays a baquiné, a wake held for a dead infant. The baquiné is a traditional practice that has its roots in African cultures; the ceremony, which is essentially a wake, celebrates the child’s ascension to Heaven after his or her death and is underpinned by the belief that the dead infant is now an angel. Oller’s painting is one of contrasts. Here, we see the clash of death and life, sorrow and joy, and the sacred and the secular, but also how these oppositional forces can exist in the same space. It is these contrasts that give the painting power, creating a lasting and vivid impression in the viewer’s mind.

El Velorio 
Source: Wikimedia Commons

2. Winter, Cat on a Cushion by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen - Most readers of this blog know that I am absolutely, 100% obsessed with cats. I mean, they’re graceful, elegant, and cuddly. What’s not to like? Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen is a painter after my own heart. Throughout his career, Steinlen drew and painted hundreds of cats in many different styles and mediums; however, his most famous cat painting is probably Winter, Cat on a Cushion, which depicts a brown and black tabby sprawled across a red cushion. While the graceful form of the cat is clearly recognizable, the cat itself is heavily heavily stylized, with Steinlen emphasizing the classic angularity of feline features. The cat’s yellow eyes draw the viewer’s gaze with their mesmerizing intensity, while its tufted ears add a charming touch. The warm, rich tones of the painting bring a touch of coziness to an ostensibly cold, winter day. Stylistically, the piece also references Eastern visual conventions, a popular source of artistic inspiration at the time. Winter, Cat on a Cushion is one of my personal favorite cat images. To my mind, it perfectly captures the elegance and grace of cats.

Winter, Cat on a Cushion

Source: Museum of Modern Art

3. Simpatía (La Rabia del Gato) by Remedios Varo - Remedios Varo is a fairly new artist to me. I discovered her work in July of this year, and I’ve never looked back. Simpatía (La Rabia del Gato) is my favorite Varo painting by far. Varo is well-known for her strange, otherworldly paintings, populated by a world of mysterious figures engaged in bizarre, ritualistic acts, and La Rabia del Gato is a fine example of her style. It is a rather charming painting, a whimsical piece that evokes a sense of magic and mysticism. The piece depicts an orange figure with flamelike hair in a grey robe; the figure caresses an orange cat, who seems to levitate above the table. The cat has seemingly knocked over a glass of water, which has turned into a tiny ocean on the floor. A network of sparkling, golden dots glimmers above them, connected by shining filaments. This constellation-like design represents the loving energy that passes between the cat and its companion, a physical representation of the energy that animates the painting. As a cat lover, this is definitely a sentiment that appeals to me. However, more importantly, I find myself drawn to the magic of La Rabia del Gato. Varo’s imaginative composition is magnetic, drawing the viewer into a dreamy and peaceful world.

Simpatía (La Rabia del Gato)

Source: Christie’s

4. And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur! by Leonora Carrington - I have seen quite a few paintings in my lifetime, and there are few that have captured my imagination like And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur! by Leonora Carrington. True to her Surrealist roots, Carrington’s work is wonderfully bizarre in a moving and poetic way. It is deeply imaginative and original, and And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur! is a fine example of her unique style. Here, we see two children gazing upon the fantastical figures of a cow-headed goddess and a pastel, moth-like form. From the right, a humanoid figure dances toward the children. These figures are mysterious and unidentifiable. What they signify is unclear, but it is certain that there are references to the world of mythos. The Minotaur is a reference to Greek mythology, while the two children resemble fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel. The title of the painting implies something interrupted, as though the piece is part of a larger, visual world. Carrington was a visionary, both literally and figuratively. She reported that she often had visions of ghosts and animals when she was a child; a fantastical influence that undoubtedly impacted her adult work. Carrington was also a writer, and the fantastical tales she composed certainly color her art (or maybe it’s the other way around). And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur! is tantalizing, hinting at a wild and magical story lurking just below the surface.

And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur!

Source: New York Times

5. The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner - For most of Western history, art has been centered around religion. In fact, through the patronage system, Western art is inextricably linked to Christianity. As such, nearly every biblical story and scene has been captured in sculpture or paint in every conceivable way and style. That’s what makes Henry Ossawa Tanner’s version of The Annunciation so unique and special. His painting represents a fresh perspective on religious art, a more realistic and literal experience of age old biblical stories. Tanner created his Annunciation after traveling to Egypt and Palestine to visit the real-life settings of the biblical scenes he so often portrayed. The Annunciation reflects this influence. Here, we see the Virgin Mary as a Middle Eastern teenager in a wrinkled robe. Her face betrays the vulnerability of youth, as opposed to the calm serenity that usually characterizes the Virgin in art. Her surroundings are plain and inauspicious, her bedroom bare of any decoration aside from earthenware jugs and a simple wall-hanging. The painting is unusual in both its simplicity and its lack of religious iconography. In Tanner’s Annunciation Mary has none of her traditional symbols or markers of holiness, and even Gabriel is stripped of his angelic glory, portrayed only as a beam of light. This unconventional approach makes the painting both unique and extremely moving. Tanner’s commitment to realism humanizes the biblical scene of the Annunciation. His painting strips away the exaggeration and romanticism of earlier eras, leaving a substantial core of spiritual truth and authenticity.

The Annunciation

Source: Wikimedia Commons

6. Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? by Paul Gauguin - There are few paintings that are more personally meaningful to me than Gauguin’s Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? As the title suggests, the monumental piece of art explores the big questions of human existence. Gauguin had a deep philosophical interest in religious and spiritual experience. Through his paintings, he sought answers to life’s big questions, including the meaning of human existence and how humans could experience greater fulfillment and spiritual authenticity. Central to this quest was an idea that there was an underlying universality to all human religions and spiritual experience, a fundamental spiritual truth that Gauguin tried to grasp through art. Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? is an attempt to do this. Each figure in the painting represents a different question and its answer; however, the most important figure is the blue figure in the background. This sculptural figure represents the unknowable question: Where are We Going?

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston

7. Portrait of Pig by Jamie Wyeth - I love paintings of animals (as you can probably tell by my love of cat paintings), and Jamie Wyeth’s masterpiece Portrait of Pig is one of my favorites. Portrait of Pig is the product of Wyeth’s efforts to capture the character of a particular pig named Den Den. The painting is life size and uses a painterly style to re-create the bristly texture of Den Den’s hair. Although it is a charming and entertaining painting, Portrait of Pig also represents the fundamental search for truth and meaning in ordinary, everyday things. While this characteristic is not unique to modern art, it is a principal that is common in twentieth and twenty-first century art. Portrait of Pig does not seek to convey any sort of message or narrative; it is simply a faithful representation of a pig. Wyeth’s painting reveals that simple, truthful images of everyday things are meaningful in and of themselves. Simply put, a pig doesn’t have to be anything other than a pig; the pig’s essential pig-ness is valuable in its own right.

Portrait of Pig

Source: The Brandywine River Museum

8. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters by Francisco Goya - There are few artists that have had a bigger impact on me on a personal level than Francisco Goya. Goya has been an inspiration to me; he captures my imagination and inspires me on a spiritual as well as on an intellectual level. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters is among Goya’s most poignant pieces. This etching can be seen as a reaction to the Enlightenment, a system of thought that promoted science and evidence based study as a way to understand the world. By the standards of the Enlightenment, Goya’s Spain could be seen as rather a backwards nation, behind the curve on industrialization and plagued by war, political mismanagement, and a host of social problems. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters aims to show that these problems are the result of outdated modes of thinking, with the sleeping man (often assumed to be Goya himself) representing enlightened reason and the monstrous creatures standing in for the consequences of unenlightened reason. Yet, it is also a spiritual and psychological piece. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters explores the tension between dark and light, touching on the sleeping, unconscious mind that lurks beneath conscious thought. It represents the dark side of the human mind, where madness and nightmares lurk. It is a deeply prescient piece, one that holds a mirror up to the viewer’s subconscious.

The sleep of reason produces monsters (No. 43), from Los Caprichos

Credit: Google Cultural Institute

9. The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon by Edward Burne-Jones - I have always found Pre-Raphaelite art to be deeply appealing on an aesthetic level. There is something brilliant and vivid about Pre-Raphaelite art, beautiful and appealing on a spiritual level. I particularly like the Medieval influence that the Pre-Raphaelites brought into their work, and The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon is a fine example of this aspect of Pre-Raphaelite art. As the title suggests, the painting depicts the mythical King Arthur in the midst of his final sleep; according to legend, Arthur was brought to the isle of Avalon after his final battle with Mordred to sleep until such a time that he was needed again. Burne-Jones places his Arthur on an elaborate bier, surrounded by mournful women who hold symbols of kingship and musical instruments. It is a beautiful and dreamy piece of art, something that speaks to viewers on a deep and profound level. 

The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon

Source: Museo de Arte de Ponce

10. The Swan Series by Hilma af Klint - In my opinion, Hilma af Klint is one of the most inspiring painters in Western history. Although af Klint began her artistic career painting traditional, figurative scenes such as landscapes, in the early twentieth century she adopted a totally new artistic style as a result of her recent experiences with Spiritualism. af Klint began attending seances as a teenager, and, as she grew older, af Klint became a member of a group of women interested in Spiritualism called The Five. These women attended seances regularly and made regular contact with six different spirits. These spirits gave them messages and instructions, including a commission to create a temple filled with paintings. Simply put, these pieces are extraordinary and striking. Although most students of art will tell you that Wassily Kandinsky is the founder of the modern abstract painting movement, af Klint was actually the first painter of the modern, Western abstract movement. Although I find most of her paintings to be powerful and interesting, af Klint’s swan series (Group IX/SUW) particularly fascinates me. Over the course of twenty-four paintings, af Klint plays with the shapes and colors that constitute the swan. The paintings explore the relationship between these two sexes while also examining the push and pull of opposites and the complementary or contradictory energy they create. Throughout the series, af Klint breaks the swans down into a series of colors and shapes that she uses to explore the idea of contradiction, transition, and opposition. The Guggenheim Museum—which owns several pieces of the swan series—also notes that “in alchemy, the swan represents the union of opposites necessary for the creation of what is known as the philosopher’s stone, a substance believed to be capable of turning base metals into gold. Here, af Klint’s black-and-white palette underscores the dualities of light and dark, male and female, life and death.” The swan is thus a powerful and magical symbol that is entirely appropriate for af Klint’s series.

The Swan, No. 1

Source: Guggenheim Museum