ICP Photo

Hey guys, I chose the “A mother mourns the death of her United Democratic Front-supporting son” painting to write about at the ICP. Here is my description:

There is a woman with her entire body covered by a cloth. She is next to a striped sofa where there is nothing but a piece of clothing. Next to the sofa is a small chest-like object also covered with a cloth that has a kind of flower design. Next to that is a chest with three drawers. The drawer on the far right (in the corner) is slightly open. On the chest is: a can with a picture of a man, multiple chains with white beads, a broken mirror, and two other structures. On the wall is nothing except four pictures: three on the back wall, one on the right. The far left has the crucifixion of Jesus. The next has a woman praying and a man next to her. The one after that has a dead naked man with three women surrounding him. The last picture on the right has a woman, with cloth covering her hair, holding a child. The wall is mostly white with a dark shade above the chest and in between the chest and sofa. There are a couple of black marks and cracks on the wall.

That was just what I observed from the painting (without making any assumptions or inferences). After looking at all the details, I assumed that many of the pictures hanging on the wall were of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. It was obvious from the emptiness of the room that the woman’s family was very poor. There was not a lot of furniture and many of the objects that were present were either keepsakes or were there for religious purposes. Also, the fact that she is praying so close to the sofa and chest shows that the room is very small. It is not only lacking in furniture, but is also very cramped. It’s also interesting how the woman is entirely covered while praying – no portion of her body can be seen.