Friend of the Birds 1944

Rufino Tamayo made "Friend of the Birds" with paint, layering color upon color to conjure a world. Look at the ochre ground and the seated figure: it's all about earth tones here, blues and greens, a kind of muted harmony. I imagine Tamayo applying these colors, maybe with brushes that are worn out, or maybe with a rag, rubbing and pushing to create a surface that feels like an old wall. You can feel the surface texture that he has worked so hard on. And then there are the birds! These are alive with reds and pinks. They’re almost bursting out of the frame. These birds seem to be an offering for the earthbound figure. I wonder if Tamayo was thinking of other artists like Picasso and Matisse, who were trying to make painting new. Perhaps he wanted to create a feeling of connection, of friendship, between humans and nature. It’s about a visual exchange, inviting us to see and feel in new ways.