[Photo Collage: Cook at Charcoal Stove] 1870 - 1880

This peculiar photo collage was created by Juan Pedro Chabalgoity in Montevideo. Here, a figure stirs a pot on a charcoal stove, adorned with wings. These wings, reminiscent of angelic figures, suggest a symbolic elevation of the domestic role. Throughout history, wings have signified transcendence, divinity, and freedom. We see them in ancient Mesopotamian art, adorning deities and mythical beings, and in Renaissance paintings, lifting angels towards the heavens. But consider the contrast: wings, symbols of the divine, juxtaposed with the mundane task of cooking. Is Chabalgoity suggesting a hidden sanctity in everyday life, a divine spark in the domestic sphere? Or perhaps a gentle mockery of the idealized angel figure, brought down to earth by the realities of daily labor? This image, like many, evokes a sense of cultural memory, tapping into our collective understanding of symbols and prompting us to reconsider their place in the modern world.