The Tear of the World

Author: Sofía Bassi

Title:La lágrima del mundo (The Tear of the World)

Date: 1974

Material: Oil on masonite

Dimensions: 27.6 × 23.6 inches

Location: Private collection

Rights: Sofía Bassi Foundation

The Tear of the World centers on a large circular form that floats in the upper part of the image. Its surface is built from concentric bands of green, with an eye placed at the center. The circle hovers above a narrow strip of orange light that cuts across the horizon. Around it, the sky is dense and layered, with broad areas of green and grey.

Below, two elongated figures stand on a vertical, irregular structure that rises from the ground. Their arms extend outward, aligned with the horizon line. The base beneath them appears unstable, with forms that drip or stretch downward into the terrain. Sofía Bassi repeats the circular form and the eye motif in several works, often linking them to the idea of a contained space or a focused point of attention within the image.