Bartolome Esteban Perez Murillo, Spanish
My Neighbors Watching Me Vacuum Naked, 1665
Oil on canvas
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: MASTERPIECE #465 (1/29/11)
Info, or links that point to more info, about this artist can be found here, here, here (archived if necessary), here, here, here, here (can be read in full for free on Fridays), here, here, here, here, here (archived if necessary), here, here, and here, perhaps in addition to what’s in his page (Google translated Spanish Wikipedia page has much more).
/// These Two Women at a Window can see a
nervous suitor who’d woo young Maria.
Duenna stifles a laugh
at the bumbling boy’s gaffe.
Did he bring roses? No— a tortilla.
/// Manuel stands at their doorway just stalling.
He is steeling his nerves to come calling.
Had he any idea
that lovely Maria
sees him now, he would find it appalling.
/// Maria’s the boy’s wealthy neighbor,
and her father is skilled with a saber.
The retired Capitán
is a rich businessman,
while Manuel just does manual labor.
/// As Manuel panics, picturing doom,
the girl thinks he would make a fine groom.
He’s a handsome and strong
Romeo. One thing’s wrong.
There’s no balcony outside her room.
/// Manuel thought, “I’ll first finish my lunch,
then I’ll knock,” as he chewed with a crunch
the tortilla (his snack),
and then, out of a sack
he produced… small red roses— a bunch!
/// This new sight made the girl’s duenna grin.
The boy’s not the fool she thought he’d been.
Then she turned, smile still showing.
The girl asked where she’s going.
“To the door, child, to let the boy in.”
/// Now Manuel faced his greatest of fears.
Would her father expel him with jeers?
No! He talked with his guest
and was very impressed.
The boy’s wisdom exceeded his years.
/// An ex-soldier, her Pa understands,
it’s no sin when one works with his hands.
But Manuel, too, showed brains.
When the old man explains
about business, the boy understands.
/// His young daughter he knows, is now grown,
but Manuel cannot see her alone.
He’ll allow them to court,
with a nightly report
from Delores, the girl’s chaperone.
/// For their marriage Maria would pray,
‘til, at last, came her goal: Wedding Day.
Then Manuel joined the firm,
(he’d apprenticed a term).
It appears that love did find a way.
/// Bart the painter planned painting a nude,
then he saw the man’s bod being viewed
by two girls, each a gem.
He thought, “I should paint them,
their smirks seem to be charming and lewd.”
/// The male model was less than enthused.
He got paid, but his pose wasn’t used.
Though he sometimes heard crude
comments when he posed nude,
he was hurt that these girls were amused.