Bulto c. 1938

Carl O'Bergh made this watercolor painting of a small carved wooden sculpture, called a Bulto. I'm curious about the kind of looking and the kind of care that goes into representing something like this. It feels devotional, somehow. I can imagine O'Bergh was really trying to understand this object. The sculpture itself is so simple, almost like a child's toy, but rendered with an earnestness that borders on reverence. It feels like O'Bergh is asking questions about how we represent the sacred, and what it means to truly see something. The grainy texture of the wood is carefully observed in the paint. The muted palette adds to the feeling of humility. It's like the artist is saying, "Here is a simple thing, but within it lies something profound." It is as if he is asking himself: "What is the essence of this object, and how can I capture that on paper?" This resonates with folk art and its unpretentious approach to capturing spiritual essence, which feels enduring to me.