Landscape with artist's farmhouse in Fique 1940

Rafael Zabaleta made this oil on canvas, titled Landscape with artist's farmhouse in Fique, in the mid-20th century. The painting depicts a rural scene, likely around Zabaleta's hometown of Jaén, Spain. Note how the artist places figures working in the fields alongside the farm animals. Zabaleta creates meaning through the use of visual codes by drawing inspiration from social realism. The focus is on the working class, and the figures are depicted in a somewhat idealized manner, conveying dignity and strength. The landscape, with its rolling hills and whitewashed farmhouse, evokes a sense of place and connection to the land. To fully understand this painting, we might turn to sources documenting rural life in Francoist Spain, as well as studies of the Spanish social realism movement. The beauty of art lies in its ability to capture the spirit of a time and place, but its full meaning is always contingent on social and institutional context.