Sex, love and hate: The false innocence behind the still life paintings

The exhibition La vida de las cosas opened this Sunday at the National Museum of San Carlos, revealing how still-life paintings, once considered mere decorative objects, are rich with hidden messages. Curator Luis Gómez Mata emphasized that “the still life has never been innocent.” He explained that while these works were often viewed as decorative, they frequently carried deeper meanings, reflecting societal values, moral dilemmas, and even personal struggles. The exhibition features 140 pieces from 15 collections, spanning late 18th-century to early 20th-century styles, with a contemporary twist. Among the artists represented are renowned figures such as Francisco de Zurbarán, Germán Gedovius, José Agustín Arrieta, Miguel Cabrera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, Roberto Montenegro, and Joy Laville. The show also highlights lesser-known names, including José Antonio Padilla, whose 1848 painting El mozo mandadero depicts a young man choosing between a basket of bread or a bottle of wine, a metaphor for choosing virtue over vice. The exhibition is divided into five sections, one of which focuses on “Fruits: From Abundance to Decomposition.” This section includes works such as Siqueiros’ still-life featuring pumpkins and Orozco’s depiction of a cabbage. Notably, several female artists are featured here, including Josefa Sanromán and Olga Costa, whose contributions have recently been confirmed. In an era when women artists were restricted from exploring history, politics, and religion, painting fruit became a rare opportunity to address complex themes, such as sexuality. For instance, depicting a cut fruit or showing its interior was a subtle way to symbolize the loss of virginity, an artistic language that persists today. Another section, titled “Florimanía, the Language of Flowers,” explores how flowers in still-life paintings conveyed botanical knowledge and emotional expression. Curators noted that entire symbolic systems developed around floral arrangements, allowing painters to communicate feelings such as love and hatred. The exhibition further challenges traditional perceptions by incorporating modern interpretations, such as photographs by Omar Gámez from his series Flores. These images, originally presented as flower arrangements, are actually self-portraits of friends who selected flowers and ejaculated onto them as if performing irrigation, a provocative commentary on the intersection of nature and human desire. Animals also played a role in still-life compositions, sometimes representing ingredients for recipes, other times serving as metaphors for the fleeting nature of life, and occasionally conveying more complex messages. The final section, “Manufactures,” examines how artists reflected economic and social changes through their work. Paintings included everyday objects such as glasses, jugs, knives, ceramics, and tools, offering insights into the cultural and historical context of the time. This exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the significance of still-life art, challenging long-held assumptions about its simplicity and innocence. By uncovering the layers of meaning embedded in these works, the exhibition provides a nuanced understanding of how art can reflect, and challenge, the world around us.