San Francisco 1917

Xul Solar painted this strange scene, "San Francisco," using watercolor on paper, likely in the 1920s. The hazy wash of color gives the work an ethereal feel, as if the artist dreamt this landscape rather than observed it. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paper support. Its slight irregularities contrast with the careful execution of the trees, mountains, and symbolic figures. The title might suggest a specific place, but the scene defies easy interpretation. Is the artist suggesting that underneath the surface of our modern landscape there are hidden spiritual meanings to be discovered? The painstaking process, and the humble materials, are less important than the result: a prompt to awaken our own powers of imagination. With this deceptively simple work, Solar asks us to consider the worlds that lie just beyond our perception.