Conchita, the little sister of Pablo, died of diphtheria on 10th January 1895. Two days later, she was buried in the ground in the general cemetery (today San Amaro), in the infants’ area of the first section. In this graveyard also lies his patron Pérez Costales, his professors Isidoro Brocos and Ramón Navarro, and also the painter Gumersindo Pardo Reguera.
The year 1895 had just begun when my sister fell very ill. We called our friend Mr. Ramón Pérez Costales, the doctor. He said to my parents that my sister had diphtheria. It’s a very serious illness, and very contagious. Poor little girl, so very young. Only seven years old.
The doctor was waiting for the anti-diphtheritic to be brought to him from Paris. This remedy would cure her, he told them. While we were waiting, I made a pact with God. I promised him: “If you save Conchita, I’ll give up painting”. But God didn’t accept my deal, and Conchita died. The vaccine arrived thirteen days late. It was awful: Mr. Ramón didn’t let us get close to her. We had to disinfect the whole house. Conchita was covered with lime, and at night they sent us to take her to the cemetery. We couldn’t keep vigil over her. We accompanied her there, and the chaplain offered a blessing in the chapel. My parents carried candles, and the altar boy carried incense. This is how we said goodbye to her.
Back home I realised: God preferred my painting to my little sister’s life. I had sacrificed her for my work! At least, that’s how I understood it. And the guilt will weigh on me for the rest of my life. Crying of grief and rage, I did my part, and I painted a picture of the scene I had just seen in the cemetery chapel. I wrote the date at the bottom of the board: Thursday 10, 95. 10th January 1895. The day Conchita died. I was never going to stop painting. My destiny was written.
Authors of the text:
Elena Pardo and Rubén Ventureira