Funeral No. 7
Artist/Maker
Mario Sanchez
(United States (born Cuba), 1908-2005)
Dateca. 1950
Mediumoil on board
DimensionsSight: 16 7/8 x 40 1/4 in. (42.9 x 102.2 cm)
Framed: 17 5/8 x 41 x 3/4 in. (44.8 x 104.1 x 1.9 cm)
Framed: 17 5/8 x 41 x 3/4 in. (44.8 x 104.1 x 1.9 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Litowitz
Terms
Object number66.125.000
DescriptionThis charming, anecdotal relief offers a storybook pictorial of an African-American funeral in Key West parading ceremoniously through the coral island. Key West was first populated in the 18th century by pirates and fishermen and, after the U.S. took possession in the early 1800s, by people from the Florida mainland and the Bahamas. At first glance it is not immediately apparent that the subject matter of the work is death, as the tropical palette of the setting and the figures - formally attired gentlemen and a costumed marching band - all lend a carnival-like air to the scene. Upon closer inspection, one focuses upon the black hearse with its sad burden, as it passes storefronts whose signage reflects the city’s Cuban heritage. The entire composition is realized in a naive style often associated with Caribbean island painting.On View
Not on viewCollections
