Chiquita Piconera, Modeled by Maria Teresa Lopez, Painted by Julio Romero de Torres (1874-1930).
I could not have known Maria Teresa Lopez. She was a model who was a muse to the Spanish master painter Julio Romero de Torres (1874-1930). She was clearly much younger than her but it is unlikely that she is alive now. This captivating painting by him of her is circa 1929-1930.
Titled Chiquita Piconera the painting is breathtakingly sensuous and captures Maria’s swag, if I may use the 21st century term for a 20th century work, rather powerfully. I must admit to my enduring fascination for Maria. She has shown up in different posts of mine even on Facebook. She returned this morning again.
I am an early riser, generally by 4 a.m., and like to finish the bulk of my writing in the first five hours or so. More often than not I do not utter a word or made a sound during that. This morning was no different. I broke that silence as I often do by practicing a song mainly to warm up my throat. The song that came to me was Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega from the 1966 Hindi movie ‘Mera Saaya’. It is one of Madan Mohan’s finest compositions, written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan and inevitably sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
So why not exercise one’s vocals with that song? I did. Now on to blabbering for the rest of the day.
Separately, I like mixing things up. Using Maria Teresa Lopez’s portrait by Julio Romero de Torres to front my karaoke was a thrill. The song was composed a little over three decades after her time and I am singing it five and half decades after it was composed and 91 years after she was portrayed. That’s neat.