“Dog” by artist Diego De La Rosa. oil on panel, 10 x 8 inches 2022.
“In this painting, De la Rosa explores how poverty has pushed Venezuelans to rely on mysticism and spirituality for their betterment. The painting portrays an impoverished scenery that is reminiscent of the poor communities that are found outside the main urban areas.
. The dog is modeled after a stray that both Diego and his wife adopted from the streets in Caracas. Its appearance is embellished by a halo surrounding its head, and an ornamental collar on its neck. Both items serve to imbue the character with a sense of goodness and dignity. The halo is reminiscent of images of saints, found in Christianity, while the collar design is directly inspired by garments worn by the heroes of independence, such as Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Miranda. . To illustrate the benevolence of the main character, the dog is accompanied by two items in front of its feet. A small bag of rice and mangoes. While rice has become a product hard to acquire for many Venezuelans, mangoes can be found growing on the trees on the street, and are an easy and accessible way of making ends for the hungry citizens. As such, the holy creature brings a humble bit of salvation to a community that has been abandoned by its leaders.”
