Such a good one, painted in 1968 by a Melchor Garcia, who depicts his visitation by San Juditas Tadeo (Saint Jude) in his prison cell prior to his release, for which he gives thanks in the text below. (Very roughly: "Thank you for granting freedom. I was arrested for taking money from the lottery ticket account that I had sold. But you well know that I grabbed it to feed my children, because I have not been blessed myself. And today my employer found out the truth and withdrew the lawsuit, saying that I am innocent because he was also once a child.")
I completely love the formal treatment of the cell, all clean lines and crisp geometries, combined with this wonderful small Saint Jude perched on one of the bars of the grate, like the angel on one shoulder in a cartoon, hovering above a despairing Melchor, head in hands. And then the graffiti on the walls of the cell (life sucks, essentially, etc) and scattering of cigarette butts at his feet. Just right.
11” x 9” and in very very good condition, painted on tin with a small hoe at top for hanging.
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