Santo 1936

Maude Valle made Santo with what looks like oil paint, creating a sacred image with a limited palette of warm earthy colours and a touch of red. I imagine her, brush in hand, coaxing this vision into being, maybe starting with a dark ground, and then the oval shape, like a portal to another world. I sympathize with Valle here – the careful build-up of paint, the slight awkwardness of the figures that gives them so much life. See how the paint is applied in layers, with thin glazes that let the underpainting peek through, especially in the faces. It’s like she’s digging through time, trying to unearth an image that already exists. That heavy, dark oval, and then the vertical lines of the robes – these simple gestures speak volumes. They remind me of some of Milton Avery’s more figurative works, where form is simplified to its essence. It’s like we’re all having a conversation, artists across time, riffing off each other, finding new ways to see and feel. Painting is just that, isn’t it? An ongoing conversation, embracing the beauty of uncertainty.