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 presents a haunting, esoteric vision where celestial forces and earthly existence intersect in a moment of transcendental revelation. Dominating the composition is a vast, luminous orb, its swirling surface containing a singular, all-seeing eye. This eye—both watchful and melancholic—suggests themes of cosmic awareness, divine surveillance, or the sorrow of creation itself. Suspended in an ethereal sky, the sphere appears to radiate an almost mystical presence, reinforcing Bassi’s recurring motif of the ovoid as a vessel of knowledge, transformation, and universal consciousness.

Below, spectral figures stand atop a crumbling, organic structure, arms outstretched toward the orb in what appears to be an act of invocation or surrender. The fiery hues in the background contrast sharply with the deep greens and blues of the celestial elements, hinting at an alchemical or apocalyptic transformation. The floating structures, dissolving landscapes, and ethereal beings create a sense of fluidity, as if reality itself is in flux, mirroring the impermanence of existence.

Through The Tear of the World, Bassi encapsulates her vision of the cosmos as an enigmatic, living entity—one that watches, mourns, and perhaps guides the course of human destiny. This painting stands as a powerful meditation on the mysteries of existence, where sorrow and transcendence are inextricably intertwined.