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The Dining Room
Herrero, Mari Puri
Bilbao, 12/10/1942
Oil on canvas
131.5 x 162.,8 cm
Herrero (bottom left hand corner)
1974
Third quarter of the 20th century
06/363
Acquired in 2006
Nature is particularly important in her painting. But, whether in the misty landscape of melancholy hills and imprecise foliage, where false images may appear, or in the urban views with disturbing features such as dilated avenues, arcades, night lights, or interiors opening through windows onto a troubling landscape, it all serves her purpose of portraying groups of self-absorbed characters. The hieratic nature of the figures and the sensation of silence the scenes convey give them a feeling of ritual. For instance, the daily ceremony of lunch -a serious subject in Basque culture- appears in The Dining Room, transformed by the dream-like size of the space and the presence of shadowy characters, who here, as in other works, embody the figures of the leaders of the Franco regime. [Javier Viar]
Selected bibliography
- Adquisiciones 02/07 [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2007. pp. 84-85, n° cat. 33.
- Guía Artistas Vascos. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2008. pp. 158-159.
- Guide Basque Artists. Bilbao, Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, 2012. pp. 158-159, n° cat. 87a.
- Gida Euskal Artistak. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Eder Museoa, 2008. p. 158.