Daniel Álvarez took Pieta one afternoon while returning from walking his dog Xenophon near María Auxiliadora School, about 10 meters from the statue of Presbyter José María Gómez in the Los Ángeles neighborhood in downtown Medellín. As he came down the hill, he saw a man lying on top of a giant sack, as if fallen from the sky. Although initially he wanted to frame only the position of the foot with the sheet, the street had heavy traffic during rush hour and he was afraid the person would wake up if he got too close, so he decided to take the photo from the opposite sidewalk. The form of the man’s body references Michelangelo’s Pieta—the bundle is like the virgin receiving him, while the man hangs with his foot, arm and face drooping. The reference to a classic image in art history and Catholic religion is emphasized by knowing the place where it happened.
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