Bulto (San Miguel) 1939

Eldora Lorenzini painted this image of a 'Bulto (San Miguel)' with watercolor. The image feels both flat and volumetric, the color applied in thin washes that let the figure emerge, shimmering. I imagine Lorenzini really looking, trying to capture the essence of the wooden sculpture. It’s like she's translating something sacred and solid into something light and airy. The palette is really striking—that blue, almost turquoise tunic against the raw wood tones of the legs and arms. The figure’s stance, with one foot stepping on what looks like a little chained demon, has this powerful, almost theatrical quality. Looking at this reminds me that we painters are all in conversation, remixing and reinterpreting what came before. Artists are constantly responding to each other across time, turning ideas over and letting something new emerge.