San Buenaventura 1935 - 1942

This drawing of San Buenaventura – made with colored pencil on paper by an anonymous artist – presents a figure outlined in gentle pink tones and set against a celestial backdrop. You get the feeling that the artist started with a pretty clear idea, yet I wonder if it was the type of idea that changed a lot during the making. Look at the vertical lines of the robe, meeting the horizontal lines of the water. I imagine the artist carefully hatching, building up the color in layers, and making considered decisions as the figure emerged. The overall softness of the medium works to create a serene, devotional mood. The stars and the halo around the saint's head suggests a spiritual plane, while the grapes could symbolize the eucharist. The way the saint holds the cross is so tender and intimate! You also get a sense of the history of the painting tradition here, as the artist is in conversation with centuries of artists depicting religious themes, each generation reinterpreting and renewing these images. What could San Buenaventura mean today? It’s an image that lets you dream into it.