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"La Miseria", Cristobal Rojas, 1886.

Cristobal Rojas Bordadora con lampara 1889

THE MISERY/1886/ by CRISTÓBAL ROJAS

The painting depicts a man seated next to his wife who recently died of tuberculosis. The man seems to be lost in so many emotions ranging from anger, pain, sadness, and desolation. He stares off at the ground and looks numb due to the devastation. The man is in shock!

The entire composition's setting suggests that the couple is poor, as seen in the simple paintings on the wall and the tattered blankets covering the woman. The rich color of his lively skin contrasts with the pale and sallow color of his wife. Rojas drew inspiration for the painting from one of his neighbors who couldn't afford medical care, and his wife died of tuberculosis.

Rojas created this while he was attending art school in Paris. Back in Venezuela in 1883, he was awarded for his art and granted a prize to support his studies. Rojas went to Paris in 1884. "Misery" was created specifically to be presented at the esteemed Paris Salon, where it was awarded an honourable mention.

During this early period in Paris, many of Rojas’s paintings were social commentaries on the impoverished lives of the people back home. He wanted to show their hardships, to let viewers be aware and share in a small part of their suffering. Being a Venezuelan in Paris, Rojas felt isolated. Tragically, Rojas died from tuberculosis, but as he was fighting the illness, he travelled back home to spend his last days with his family.

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