Eudorus and Cymodocea in the amphitheatre
1884. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
This work was presented at the 1884 National Exhibition and was acquired by the National Museum. It was inspired by the work of Chateubriand, volume III, page 676.
For this work Bermudo spent some time in Tarragona, taking notes of its walls and Roman amphitheatre. The painting depicts the moment when Cymodocea embraces Eudorus and he holds her with his left arm, raising the other towards the sky to ask God to help them. At her feet, a man is being devoured by a tiger and an old man is standing and raising his head to give his soul to heaven as he readies to die. Another figure appears lying on the ground, hiding his head in his hands in fear. In the background of the painting, a group of Christians are preparing to be sacrificed. Clothes on the ground, nails and other details complete the representation. The scene is perfectly recreated and the delighted audience watches the spectacle from the gallery. It is a work well defined by the drawing, since the colouring and the mastery with which the characters are drawn are properly adapted to the atmosphere of the classical works.
José Bermudo Mateos (1853-1920), Badajoz, Museo de Bellas Artes de Badajoz, 2015, p.59,69 n.29
