Odd painting - windmill with dark figures

Bought this on my "too weird too pass up for 10 bucks" rule. Painting is 24" x 19" - Frame and stretcher(pine) are somewhat recent. The canvas is linen, and shows just a touch of age I think. The painting I think is older than the frame but - I could be wrong.

A jib sail windmill being approached by two dark figures, or are they facing towards the viewer completely cloaked in black? Can't decide if this is completely without talent or there's a hint of expressionism in it. The windmill looks like ones I've found online from Portugal (mainly). Enjoy - opinions welcome. The sig/monogram looks kind of like Ecw or Eclu - or whatever- but who knows...

 

can see why you bought it, if nothing else its got a feel to it, very ominous

i would think facing windmill, 1st figure looks like it has a defined headress of some kind

the second figure makes me think of lord varys, whispering !!

 

I think the nuns are up to something.

Again.

 

Windmills with four sails without framework are found in Portugal. Other southern European windmills that I know of either have more sails or a latticed framework.

Portugal may have its fair share of sinister looking nuns too.

 

The frame is 1970s, the painting could be a bit earlier or not.

 

LOL, on the "it was too weird too pass up for 10 bucks" rule. Should be one of the Antiquer's Ten Commandments.

Thou shalt not pass up anything too weird for 10 bucks...

 

When we drove around Greece & the islands back in the 80s, all the older women wore all black like this.

 

Aha - like this!

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/elderly-greek-women.html

 

It used to be a general southern European thing, maybe still is. I guess it is because older ladies have lost more family members, so they are in mourning all the time.
It was the same here when country people still wore traditional costumes. The last ladies in regional dress all wore dark colours, leading many people to believe that regional dress was always dark.

 

And like this in Portugal:
https://bony.photoshelter.com/image/I0000kLyYNb2ba84

Italy:

 

So, both this type of windmill - and the style of dress - are common along the Mediterranean.

 

Yes, they are, in the European part at least.
My vote is for Portugal, because of the four sails without frame.

 

Azores perhaps.

Debora

 

those triangular sails as blades could be from an arab type of windmill.

 

I've never seen a windmill with a step-back design like that.

Debora

 

panemone windmill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panemone_windmill

 

Just a little something which I forgot in my last post, Portugal is Atlantic, not Mediterranean.

 

Thank you. But I'm still unable to find a photograph of a windmill with that construction.

Debora

 

You mean the building itself, don't you? I was wondering if it was a repurposed tower? A watch tower maybe?

 

Yes, the building itself.

Debora