Lago Monti 1921

Xul Solar made this dreamy mountain scene, Lago Monti, with watercolor and ink. I love the way he’s built up this imagined world using simple, almost childlike forms. I can picture him, brush in hand, conjuring these jagged peaks and tiny dwellings. What a mind, right? He's got these structures clinging to the mountainsides, like hermit crabs. And then you see the planets floating up above and you know this is no ordinary landscape. The mountains in the background are like a cathedral, all spiky and ethereal. Solar was really doing his own thing, creating languages and philosophies. And in a way, that's what painting is too – inventing your own visual language. When I look at his work, I think of other visionary artists like Hilma af Klint or Paul Klee, all searching for something beyond the surface of things. They are all embracing ambiguity, leaving space for multiple interpretations.