El Adios

El Adios, by Maria Makki, is a poignant expression of a universal experience of love: the inevitable separation and ensuing grief that all pairs of lovers must endure sooner or later when one lover passes away before the other. The concept for the painting was inspired by C.S. Lewis’ “A Grief Observed” a collection of personal notes written by the author himself, which describes the grieving process he went through after losing his wife to cancer. El Adios depicts a man cleaving to the lifeless body of his wife. The expression on his face is one of anguish, terror and denial as well as one of tenderness. His body language speaks volumes as well. The man is running, holding on tightly to his wife’s body, as a desperate part of him believes he can elude death and certain separation from his beloved companion. The surroundings create important tension in the painting. The dark mountains that fall sharply towards the turbulent sea and the waves crashing violently near the man’s feet collectively seem to be closing in on the man as though to remind him of the futility of his actions and refusal to let go. There is no place the man can run to that will keep his wife safe from death nor restore to him his old life with her. The ominous mountains, ocean and sky accentuate the earthly life the man is still bound to despite his wife’s departure from it. The rays of light emanating from the clouds have a spiritual and physical significance. In one sense, they represent the passing on of the spirit to “another” world that is commonly associated with the act of dying. By dissecting the woman and dividing her into many small colorful pieces, the rays of light also convey the breakdown of the physical body that occurs after death as well as the fragmentation and ultimate demise of the communal life the man and the woman once shared. Her death translates into the bifurcation that forces the two lovers down different paths without knowing if they will ever meet again.