Plate 19: Reading Stand, Chimayo: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

Curator: This watercolor drawing on paper presents "Plate 19: Reading Stand, Chimayo," part of the portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico," dating from 1935-1942. The artist remains anonymous. Editor: It has a slightly melancholic feel to me. A beautiful object, carefully rendered, but with an almost faded quality. It is a little bit dream-like, like an object recalled imperfectly from childhood. Curator: It's interesting that you sense that fading, that hint of something lost. Regionalism, to me, is all about finding continuity within that very tension between the past and the present, using these kind of forms that root a community. We’re seeing more than just a piece of furniture here, really. Editor: True. The architectural details give it a gravitas, and it evokes a sort of hallowed space. Curator: Yes! Notice the painted scene near the top – perhaps depicting a saint or important figure – nestled within the architecture of the stand itself. Then below that we see lines of indecipherable writing or musical notation. Even for those who couldn’t literally ‘read’ a text, it suggested power. Editor: It makes you wonder about all the hands that have turned its pages, and how their stories might have shaped the communities that valued it. Also, do you see how the colours are both vibrant and muted? They almost clash but the image remains grounded. Curator: Absolutely, a dance between memory and what's materially present. Those kinds of contrasts help us feel how this piece exists within both a personal and cultural history. It speaks volumes about tradition. Editor: For me, it feels like a poignant echo, almost yearning for its place within the cultural narrative. Thank you for revealing it for us. Curator: Thank you for teasing out that personal resonance. It gives life to those traditions, keeps them present.