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EL MUNDO DE DON QUIJOTE
Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 2005
(Private collection, Maitland, Florida)
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El Mundo de Don Quijote (The World of Don Quixote) or 400 Years of Don
Quixote was painted not only to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the
appearance of Cervantes' immortal novel, but to present various
architectural
views of Spain and some real characters from Spanish life in one composition. To
accomplish this, the author studied old photographs of Spain, made extensive
sketches (two examples are shown below) and was able to
include in his painting such details as "Fatima's hand" (a ceramic good luck
charm on the door), clay jars, Moorish castles, a Romanesque church,
dovecotes, Spanish benches and stools, titles of famous Spanish books (El
Cid, La Celestina) in the bookstore, window treatments, and many
figures wearing traditional Spanish clothing. The combined effect was to
create in the painting a Spanish atmosphere and to place several important
events from the novel on this background. In the very front, on the left
side, Don Quixote and Sancho Pansa are holding a sign with the title of the
painting in Spanish, 400 Años de Don Quijote de la Mancha. Their large
and detailed figures allow the viewers to recognize both characters in other
parts of the painting. To their right, in a tavern courtyard, next to the
well, Don Quixote is holding his vigil over his armor. In front of the
taberna, he is being knighted by the innkeeper and his two wenches.
Above them is the famous episode of Sancho being tossed up to shake the money
out of his pockets. Directly above the front figures of Don and Sancho, Don
Quixote meets Aldonza Lorenzo and her friends. In the middle of the painting,
on the right side, Don Quixote and Sancho, with their eyes covered, sit on the
wooden horse, clavilleño; to the left of this scene, Sancho, as the
governor of the island, pronounces his wise judgment on the man who brought
money hidden in a wooden stick. On the right side above the wooden horse
scene, Don Quixote stands in front of the cave of Montesinos, from which bats
are flying out. And, finally, in the very middle of the upper section of
the painting, Don Quixote and Sancho are about to embark on their windmill
adventure. To the right of them is a herd of sheep, a hint at another
episode from the novel. Additional details related to the work and its author
include a volume of Cervantes' Novelas ejemplares on the blue bench in
the foreground, the stables of Sanson Carrasco (La caballeriza de Sanson),
and the name of the tavern: La Taberna de Amadis de Gaula. Finally, to
personalize the work, some inscriptions, objects, and small details relate to
the owners of the painting and to the artist himself (his dog and cat found
their way into the composition).
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