Mexican Girl 1941

Peter Busa made this screenprint, Mexican Girl, sometime in the mid-20th century, likely with his typical method of layering colors to create depth and vibrancy. Busa's approach feels intuitive, like he’s discovering the image as he goes. Looking at the print, the colors are layered, creating texture through the overlaps. The reds, blues, and blacks aren't neatly contained; they bleed and mingle, which gives the piece a lively, somewhat chaotic energy. Check out the bold black outline that loops around the figure—it defines the form but also feels playful, almost like a doodle. That line, in relation to the softer washes of color, is a conversation between control and chance, so typical of artmaking. Busa’s work reminds me of Arshile Gorky’s blend of surrealism and abstraction, both artists exploring the boundaries of form and representation. In the end, it’s this ambiguity that makes art so interesting, inviting us to see something new each time we look.