Poor bedraggled young woman. She's got a clothes line strung up in her room with some raggedy things hanging up to dry by the open window. She's peeling potatoes. Across from her are some wilted leafy vegetables on an old table and more shriveled potatoes that look like stones.
But you know what's most telling about her? Her black dress tells us she is in mourning. We don't know who died — a parent, a sibling, a husband, a fiancé? We don't know, but she is encased in sadness.
Of course, we've noticed there is a single black crow perched at the edge of the nearby table. The bird seems to be attentive to her. We know the artist isn't just showing off, "Oh look, I can paint a bird." This crow is there for a reason. Perhaps the bird is a kind of companion — an injured or orphaned bird she took in and cared for and is now sticking around. Animals do that sometimes.
Black birds often get a bad rap — as if the crow is there simply to support the funerial tone. I'd suggest that's too simple. Animals have different meanings in different cultures. Catholic saints are sometimes depicted with animals by their sides. In some cultures a single black crow means you may be experiencing a prophecy about the future or that a transformation or change is on the horizon. A black crow could suggest you are getting ready for a new journey, or that you may soon experience a new freedom (spread your wings).
Wouldn't any of these broader meanings be appropriate for this poor girl who wears black, toiling away, a lonely drudge. Perhaps the painting comes to us, a nudge, to send prayerful good wishes when we see persons who look so broken or under-it-all. I won't see them though if I'm in the habit of walking with my head down or live in a zoom world — narrowed down and laser focused on what I've got to get done as fast as possible.
A tour of the Gospels makes clear, Jesus sees everyone; he misses nothing.
