*Juan Diego and the Virgin of Guadalupe*

In both components A and B for assignment 4 I focused a lot on Juan Diego and his encounter with the Virgin of Guadalupe and in doing so I came across a couple of very powerful pictures. These particular pieces of art really capture the essence of the emotions that Juan Diego felt himself and through this you really begin to identify with him.

*OBSERVATION: The first picture I really like because you see Diego and in front of him is the Virgin of Guadalupe. In doing this it really symbolizes his belief in her and it shows that she is in fact a part of him. Around him you see beautiful budding roses, which is significant because that was the proof that Juan Diego delivered to the Bishop to testify of the truth of his vision. It's a great picture filled with emotion which you can also see captured in the eyes of Diego.

*INTERPRETATION: I think this artwork is really a collaboration of the entire story that we know of. It really captures all of the steps of what happened and what Diego had to do in order to fulfill the Virgin Mary’s every wish. You really see the importance of such a journey and that when you believe in something so strongly it becomes a part of you.

*JUDGEMENT: I chose this picture mainly for Juan Diego’s face. You see a sense of vulnerability to this woman who chose to present herself to him. In his eyes you see compassion and virtue to its fullest. I strongly believe that everyone should have something to believe in and this was Diego’s “something”. I love the picture because it made me stop and think about all of the feelings he must have had during this time. If you let it, the picture can empower you for many minutes!

*QUESTIONING: There was one question that primarily came to my mind when I was looking at this picture. I was wondering what the painter had felt. It clearly shows signs of inspiration, but was he/she inspired? Could they identify in any way with the feelings they expressed in the painting? When I see artwork like this, I generally wonder where the artist was coming from.