Mort! (The Death of Columbus)

Ignacio Merino, a Piura-born artist, trained in Paris from an early age, and returned to his native Peru in 1838.
Merino’s painting was characterized by his meticulous attention to the gestures and anatomy of his subjects. Following in the tradition of academic art, his aim was to achieve an idealized visual narrative. In addition to historical scenes, Merino also explored genre painting, expressed in scenes of everyday life from Europe’s past.
In Mort! (Dead!), a work exhibited at the 1866 Paris Salon, the artist depicted, in a somber setting resembling a monastic cell, the death of an elderly man. In the foreground, we see three Franciscan friars, gathered around the recumbent body of the old man. One of the friars is holding the man's arm, checking for vital signs. His conclusion -"he is dead"- provides the title of the work.