Autumn

This painting belongs to the series The Four Seasons, attributed to the renowned colonial neogranadine painter Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos. 

“Summer” and “Spring” were lost on February 7th , 1945, in a fire. These works, along with other pieces, were sent to the Atlantic coast to exhibit part of the museum’s heritage there. 

This painting could be classified as a still life, a pictorial genre that represents inanimate objects such as fruits, flowers, or utensils, typically arranged in a carefully crafted composition. 

Along with depicting everyday aspects, these types of paintings often contain symbolic messages associated with both secular and religious themes. 

In “Autumn”, the fruits harvested in the northern hemisphere during this season stand out. We can thus see clusters of grapes, symbols of Christ. 

On the other hand, the royal crown engraved on the jug represents monarchical power. The pomegranate located beside it complements the message, alluding to the union between the monarchy and the Church. 

The iconographic motif of the four seasons also symbolizes the four stages of life. In this case, autumn represents maturity, personified by the male figure participating in the scene. 

In these types of images, both the complex symbolic framework of Baroque painting and the European influences that marked American pictorial production are evident.