San Luis Rey Side Altar from the portfolio "Decorative Art of Spanish California" 1935 - 1942

This print of a side altar from San Luis Rey, one of a series documenting the decorative art of Spanish California, is all about the interplay between flat shapes and muted colours. The anonymous artist, working with WPA Arts funding, takes the floral motif and simplifies it to its most essential elements. Look at how each leaf and petal is rendered as a discrete block of colour, laid down with an even hand. There’s no attempt to create depth or volume, just a celebration of the shapes themselves. The colours, too, are quiet and subdued, a mix of dusky rose, muted green, and soft brown. It's as if the artist is inviting us to slow down, to really see the beauty in simplicity. The print reminds me a little of Henri Matisse’s cut-outs, particularly in the way it uses bold, flat shapes to create a sense of movement and energy. The art of simplification is anything but simple, and here is what can be born out of this enduring tension.