Modernidad Emergente 

Carlos Merida’s “Modernidad Emergente” uses watercolor to realize its composition of geometric forms. The material itself – watercolor – has a fascinating history. Once relegated to preliminary sketches, it came to be seen as a primary medium, prized for its translucence. Here, the artist orchestrates a play of blues, greens, grays, and blacks on the stark white ground of the paper. The thinness of the paint allows the whiteness to subtly glow through the blocks of color. Look at the way the pigment pools and settles, creating subtle tonal variations within each shape. The hand of the artist is evident, not just in the composition, but also in the meticulous application of the watercolor. It represents a clear choice, away from industrial modes of production and towards the realm of individual expression. It is the artist's embrace of craft that elevates this work, bridging the gap between modernist abstraction and the intimacy of handmade art.