Article: The mystery of Maruja.(Column)

QUESTION

Some years ago I saw a painting in Rochdale Art Gallery which showed a woman holding out, at arm's length, two large pails of water. It was called Maruja The Strong. What are the origins of this image?

THIS painting, Maruja The Strong, depicts a semi-naked young woman demonstrating her incredible strength to a group of Spanish peasants. The fact she can lift, outstretched from her arms, what we perceive as full jugs of water, denotes not only her strength, but also her beauty and vigour.

The title, Maruja The Strong, is a play on words as Maruja is not only a variant of the female name Maria, but is also a slang word in Spanish for ...

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