Altar Rail Gate c. 1939

This is Manuel G. Runyan's watercolour study of an altar rail gate. The washes of brown ink are layered to give a sense of depth. I'm wondering, was Runyan standing in front of the altar, carefully plotting each line and curve? Or did they reconstruct it from memory? The slight inconsistencies in the arches suggest a human touch, an intuitive adjustment. The lines waver and blur, refusing to be rigidly defined. This piece reminds me that every act of creation, whether building an altar or painting one, involves a conversation between intention and accident. There’s a dialogue between the artist and the material, each informing the other, changing the course of the artwork. Like brushstrokes on canvas, each mark carries a thought, a feeling, a decision. And isn't that what art is all about? A way of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world, filtered through the unique sensibility of the artist.