#10981 Rafael Zabaleta

The composition presents a young girl positioned centrally within a confined space defined by architectural elements. She stands before a table, her gaze directed outward with a detached expression. The setting appears to be indoors, suggested by the window framing a landscape viewed from within. This landscape is rendered in broad strokes of yellow and green, creating an impressionistic backdrop that contrasts with the more precise depiction of the foreground.
A significant element dominating the lower portion of the painting is a dead hare resting on the tables surface. The animal’s posture conveys stillness and finality, its form meticulously detailed despite its lifeless state. Adjacent to the hare, a birdcage containing a single bird hangs from the table’s edge. The bird seems alert, yet confined within its enclosure.
The girl is dressed in a light-colored blouse with a prominent collar and dark trousers, her posture suggesting an almost stoic composure. Her feet are visible beneath the table, adding to the sense of confinement and observation. A decorative pattern adorns the front of the table, providing a visual counterpoint to the starkness of the hare’s presence.
The color palette is characterized by muted tones punctuated by areas of intense green and yellow in the landscape. The use of flat planes and simplified forms contributes to an overall sense of formality and distance.
Subtextually, the painting evokes themes of mortality, observation, and perhaps a disquieting innocence. The juxtaposition of the living girl with the dead animal suggests a confrontation with death and its inevitability. The bird in the cage might symbolize a longing for freedom or represent a similar state of confinement experienced by the girl herself. The detached gaze of the young woman implies an emotional distance from the scene, hinting at a complex psychological landscape. The composition’s deliberate arrangement creates a sense of unease, prompting reflection on the relationship between life and death, innocence and experience.