The lmmaculate Conception

In this work, the image of the Virgin stands out clearly in the center foreground from which it emerges against a background of bright, deep blue, a color with which, for years, this neo- Hispanic painter was identified. The painting is framed by four clouds located at its outer edges, on each of which is posed a group of angels bearing various Marian litanies which constitute emphatic evidence that the Virgin Man7 was conceived sinless. She is the mother of Christ, and Her imagery has been copiously developed across the centuries in response to the great need of Christians and of clerics to erect a mother figure. Mary is wearing a great blue robe with a red lining and gold brocade, along with a white tunic with a belt girded so high above the waist as to suggest that She is pregnant. Her facial expression is more arid than delicate. Apart from chastity this highly apocalyptic vision -where Mary is portrayed with symbols such as the sun shining on Her crown-circled head, a snake at Her feet coiled around the inverted horns of the moon, and assorted items such as a tower, a beach, a city with certain buildings, some lilies and an orchard, reminding us of Her spotless origins— is suggestive of the Franciscan visiin which made such portrayals of the Virgin popular in the early XVIIth century. This work entered the MUNAL from the San Diego Viceregal Painting Gallery in the year 2000.