Station of the Cross No. 5: "Jesus is Assisted in Carrying His Cross c. 1936

William Herbert made this watercolor, "Station of the Cross No. 5: "Jesus is Assisted in Carrying His Cross," sometime in the 20th century. It's got this incredible, almost naive quality in the way the figures are rendered. You can tell the artist is really invested in the story, and the color palette is really earthly and muted. The whole thing is imbued with a sense of process, like Herbert was working it out as he went. The paint is applied in washes, thin and transparent, allowing the paper to breathe through. Look at the figure in the center, in the red tunic, his face turned upwards with the weight of the cross, this one small area speaks to the whole painting, the colors, the light, the weight. It reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley's religious paintings, that same combination of reverence and raw emotion. It’s more than just a depiction; it’s a heartfelt expression, an ongoing conversation with art history and the stories we tell ourselves.