Boy With Umbrella 1964

Curator: Here we have Enrique Grau’s “Boy With Umbrella,” a painting completed in 1964. Editor: The very first impression is arresting, isn't it? The rather frontal pose, the dark umbrella dominating the composition, and the smooth but unsettling skin tones give the whole piece an almost dreamlike quality. Curator: Grau’s works, and this portrait is a key example, often reflected on Colombian society and culture. Grau, after his travels to Europe, particularly to Florence, took influence of renaissance in his art, exploring themes related to class, identity, and social issues, so common to Colombian society during the mid 20th century. Editor: Absolutely. I am struck by the sharp contrast between the hyperrealistic, almost photographic depiction of the figure, particularly in the face, and the somewhat flattened perspective and limited color palette. It nearly renders the boy as a sculpture. Also, isn't that a coffee grinder in the back? It is such an unexpected detail. Curator: A detail that can definitely point to Colombia's most lucrative export. But to continue with its relation to cultural and social background, remember Grau and the figurative painters of the time served as chroniclers. Their pieces were charged with a new iconography to give a response to the social and political convulsion of Latin America at the time. It shows, even now. Editor: Yes. I completely agree. It's the slightly melancholic look in the boy's eyes too; the shadow cast by the umbrella emphasizes a certain weightiness and evokes introspection. The visual rhetoric employed is brilliant, no doubt, yet quite thought-provoking when thinking about that political backdrop. Curator: A small peek through a moment in time and a country's history. Editor: Indeed, the image lingers, posing more questions than it answers in a unique configuration of elements.