Untitled (Mexican Village, with donkey in foreground) 1934

Konrad Cramer made this gouache, titled *Untitled (Mexican Village, with donkey in foreground)*, in 1925. You can almost feel the dry heat radiating from the tan and sandy ground as it meets the cool blue sky. I can imagine Cramer outside, squinting in the sun, trying to capture the particular light and atmosphere of this village scene. The trees, rendered in strokes of olive and sage, sway gently in the breeze, while the little donkey adds a touch of life. I imagine the white buildings shimmering against the muted landscape. It’s interesting how Cramer simplifies the forms, reducing everything to flat shapes of color. There’s a sense of stillness. Artists are always in conversation with one another, borrowing, responding, and riffing on what came before. This work puts me in mind of Marsden Hartley or even Milton Avery, artists who were also drawn to the American landscape and its unique visual language. Painting is never truly finished but instead continues to resonate, shift, and inspire across time.