THE LADY WITH THE GOLDEN EARING
2023
Graphite on paper
95 x 70 cm
The Lady with the Golden Earring presents the moving testimony of an elderly woman. Sitting in a wheelchair, her exposed body reveals the harsh consequences of the passage of time. The wrinkled skin, the scars, the swelling of the arm and hand, the absence of a breast, and the lost gaze are silent testimonies of a long and fragile life.
Shirtless, she involuntarily exposes the diaper that sticks out between her pants, an unavoidable symbol of her dependence in the final moments of her life. This raw and realistic detail confronts us with the vulnerability of the aging body, devoid of the dignity it once had. However, there is a detail that contrasts with this decadence: a small golden earring, discreet but shiny, which persists as a vestige of an identity that time has not been able to erase.
Shirtless, she involuntarily exposes the diaper that sticks out between her pants, an unavoidable symbol of her dependence in the final moments of her life. This raw and realistic detail confronts us with the vulnerability of the aging body, devoid of the dignity it once had. However, there is a detail that contrasts with this decadence: a small golden earring, discreet but shiny, which persists as a vestige of an identity that time has not been able to erase.
This element evokes a memory of self-esteem, belonging and stories that still live within her, even when the body no longer responds and autonomy has been lost.
The woman portrayed carries in her expression a mixture of tiredness, resignation and perhaps longing — as if she were imprisoned in a body that is no longer hers, dependent on others for every gesture, every basic need. Here, we seek to reflect on the human condition in its most fragile phase. It is an unfiltered portrait of physical decay and dependence, but one that paradoxically finds beauty and dignity in the silent strength that endures even when everything seems to disappear.
The woman portrayed carries in her expression a mixture of tiredness, resignation and perhaps longing — as if she were imprisoned in a body that is no longer hers, dependent on others for every gesture, every basic need. Here, we seek to reflect on the human condition in its most fragile phase. It is an unfiltered portrait of physical decay and dependence, but one that paradoxically finds beauty and dignity in the silent strength that endures even when everything seems to disappear.
In memory of Dona Aurora.
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