Plate 16: Wheat Sheaf, Altar Panel: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

This altar panel design, "Wheat Sheaf," from the "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" portfolio, presents a fascinating blend of cultural and artistic influences rendered in gouache. There is real intention in the layout of the design, the borders seem to imply a frame, which brings the subject matter to the fore. The texture is flat, yet the colors create depth. The artist's choice of gouache allows for opaque, matte surfaces, lending a graphic quality to the composition. The pink background in the central panel really makes the wheat stand out. Notice the whimsical touch of the flourish in the red ribbon tied around the sheaf, it’s almost Dr. Seussical! This piece reminds me of the work of Hilma af Klint. Her use of symbols and simplified forms, similar to the wheat sheaf here, taps into a deeper spiritual or symbolic language. Art is such an ongoing conversation. It’s never really done, just reinterpreted.