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Portrait of Manuela Sáenz by Laura Ojeda Bär (Argentine) - Oil on canvas / 2020 - Inter-American Development Bank (Washington DC) #womeninart #art #WomenPaintingWomen #oilpainting #WomanArtist #womensart #LauraOjedaBar #Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank #femaleartist #portraitofawoman #fineart #pintura
This painting by Argentine artist Laura Ojeda Bär shows Manuela Sáenz, the lover and companion of "El Libertador" aka the Liberator of America, Simón Bolívar. The artwork is full of symbols that recall the couple’s shared history and the last years of Manuelita after Bolívar’s death. The red roses refer to the wreath of flowers that she threw to the hero when she saw him for the first time, parading through the streets of Quito. The medal hanging on the wall corresponds to the Order of the Sun of Peru, which was awarded to her in 1821. Despite all her merits, Saenz was exiled from Colombia and Ecuador, finally settling in Paita, Peru. There, she earned a living selling tobacco and translating letters, both elements in the painting. She wears a long, loose-fitting, ankle-length gown of a muted olive-brown color. The neckline is a simple boatneck while the sleeves are long and have a fairly loose fit. There are no visible accessories, except blossom earrings. Her posture is upright but relaxed, suggesting a thoughtful, rather than tense, demeanor. She is seated with her hands gently clasped in her lap. Her eyes appear dark and somewhat downcast and her mouth is closed in a neutral expression, neither smiling nor frowning, suggesting introspection or quiet sadness. Through her light to medium skin tone, there are visible lines around the eyes and mouth, depicting her maturity later in life. Today, the long history of written correspondence between Sáenz and Bolívar is one of the main sources of information on the Latin American independence period. This painting was commissioned by the IDB as part of a project in which artists from the region were invited to portray female Latin American historical figures. Bär is a contemporary Argentine visual artist. In 2004, she enrolled at the National University of the Arts (UNA) and in 2014 she began working at the Centro Cultural Kirchner. In 2018 she won Second Prize in the painting category of Salón Nacional.
March 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM