Companion Panel from Main Reredos, Church of Sanctuario, Chimayo 1935 - 1942

E. Boyd created this watercolor panel, a section of a larger altarpiece from the Santuario de Chimayo. But this isn’t the original altarpiece. Boyd was commissioned to recreate the original one after a fire. Boyd was influential in preserving Spanish Colonial art in New Mexico, a style deeply rooted in the cultural and religious history of the region. Here, the ears of wheat in the vase are an important Christian symbol. You can see the color palette and symmetry that also invoke the artistic traditions of colonial Spain. The painting reflects a conservative style of folk art, but it was made in the twentieth century and intended to celebrate the traditions of the past. To understand this panel fully, we need to consider the history of the church, the religious practices associated with it, and the role of art in maintaining cultural identity. In studying historical records, we can understand how art, even when traditional in appearance, can serve to comment on contemporary culture.