La alborada de la garza 1975

Alice Rahon made "La alborada de la garza" with oil on canvas, and it feels like a breath, doesn't it? The light palette creates a sense of airiness. It's like Rahon wasn't so interested in the definite form of the bird, but more the *process* of becoming, of emerging. Up close, you can see the varying paint textures. The heron's body and neck are built up of small brushstrokes that give its plumage a delicate, feathery quality. The dark forms at the bottom are more thickly applied and appear to be a mix of charcoal and oil paint. And how about that beak? It’s just one confident stroke. It makes me think of Leonora Carrington who worked in Mexico at the same time. Both of them evoke a similar otherworldly quality and their art becomes a space for exploring the fluidity between dream and reality. Art is such a great space for this kind of ambiguity, and Rahon invites us to step right in.