Corpus Christi Procession, Santiago c. 1925 - 1930

This lively watercolour of a Corpus Christi Procession in Santiago was made by Muirhead Bone. Look at how he’s worked the paint—it feels like he’s trying to capture the hustle and bustle of a crowd. There’s such a feeling of movement here, and the composition’s really dynamic, pulling you into the scene! I can almost feel Bone wrestling with the subject. The cathedral is so lightly sketched, it's barely there, while the figures in the procession are much more defined. It's like he’s trying to decide what’s important, what to leave in, what to take out. And that tension, that struggle, is what makes it so interesting. You see him grappling with the forms, searching for the right line, the right color. I love the touches of red and blue that bring definition to the scene. It’s a conversation between the artist and the subject. Between what’s there and what’s imagined. It's a record of a fleeting moment, captured with a sense of urgency and immediacy.