Santa Cruz Mission c. 1936 - 1940

Marguerite Redman Dorgeloh made this print of the Santa Cruz Mission, likely with lithographic crayon on a stone or plate, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The tonal range that Dorgeloh coaxes out of a black and white medium is really impressive. I wonder if she started with the sky, smudging and blending to create a moody atmosphere that almost vibrates with suppressed energy. She really captures the textures of the old building; the roughness of the tiled roof, the smoothness of the white walls. Check out the way she renders the agave plant – each leaf is defined with a delicate line. And the shadows! They give the building weight and presence, rooting it to the earth. Dorgeloh really knew her stuff. She understood how to build form with light and shadow, how to create a sense of depth and space. Artists like Dorgeloh remind us that it's the quiet, dedicated practitioners who keep the traditions alive and pave the way for new forms of seeing.