Portrait of Madesta and Inesita 1939

Diego Rivera made "Portrait of Madesta and Inesita" with oil on canvas, and I'm drawn to the way he builds up the colours in this piece; he's not trying to hide the process, you can see the painting being made. Look at the child’s dress, it’s a field of pink with little dots of white, almost as if the pink is being interrupted by the white. See how the mother’s rebozo, that shawl, is made of many small dashes? The texture is alive. Rivera gives us this sense of form through colour and texture, with the visible brushstrokes adding to the tactile quality of the painting. I think of Marsden Hartley, with his strong lines and feeling for local people. Ultimately, this is about exchange, about how we see each other, how we represent each other and continue the dialogue. Art isn't about having the last word; it's about keeping the conversation going.