A street artist looking for inspiration found it in the most humble of circumstances when he saw an older couple in a working class neighborhood of Mexico City showing affection and taking some sun.

Pedro Peña, better known by his artistic name Sr. Mickrone, was painting a mural as part of a municipal mural project in Iztapalapa when Raúl and his wife Imelda, who uses a wheelchair, caught his attention.

“I was painting … when I saw a couple from the neighborhood walking with a wheelchair. They sat down to catch the sun, and I noticed that he was being affectionate and took her head onto his chest. I dared to take a picture of them from behind and I asked my directors for permission to paint a mural …

“I talked to them and mentioned that I would like to create a mural near their house where they could see it,” Peña explained.

Once the mural was finished, the artist uploaded some photos to Facebook, where they went viral. “It was surprising, I didn’t expect a reaction like that … I think it touched some very important feelings to do with the pandemic. You can see that the people are adults, and they still love each other,” he added.

Peña also revealed how the couple reacted to having their likeness on display. “She is an old lady, 83 years old, but her face was full of emotion, she looked shocked …” upon seeing the painting.

He said the couple go out every day and sit in the same spot to enjoy the sun, and that others have taken photos of them as well.

With reports from Milenio