Xochimilco—Cinco de Mayo 1942

Prentiss Taylor made this lithograph, Xochimilco - Cinco de Mayo, in 1952. The image is made up of layers and layers of very fine pencil lines that are cross-hatched to create tone and shade, a real labour of love, you can tell. Look how the composition has been built out of flat planes stacked on top of each other, like a stage set. It’s almost naive in its rendering, a very personal vision that makes the image all the more believable. In the foreground, we can see the decorated boats, each named in looping letters made out of flowers - ‘Viva Mexico’, ‘Lolita’, ‘Clamor’. Zooming in, you can see people sitting in the boats, listening to music, rowing. It’s like a snapshot of daily life, but also a celebration of something bigger, a national day, perhaps. Taylor reminds me a little of Jacob Lawrence in his ability to capture a sense of place and community. But where Lawrence used bright, bold colours, Taylor sticks to monochrome, creating a quieter, more contemplative image. Art is all about conversation, isn't it?