The Death of Simón Bolívar

What it is

This oil painting, created by Antonio Herrera Toro in 1889, depicts the death of Simón Bolívar. It shows a dying man lying in bed, surrounded by uniformed officers and a seated figure, inside the room where Bolívar died at the Quinta San Pedro Alejandrino.

Why it matters

Painted around fifty-nine years after Bolívar's actual death, this work belongs to a tradition of historical painting that shaped how later generations pictured the final moments of a national hero. It shows how artists, rather than eyewitnesses, often created the enduring images we associate with historical events.

Look closer

• Since the artist was not present at the event, what choices might he have made to create this scene?
• What mood does the painting create through its use of light, color, and the figures' poses?
• Why might a painting like this be more emotionally powerful than a written account of the same event?