Santo (Nuestra-Sonora di la Luze) 1939

Carl O’Bergh made this watercolour of Santo (Nuestra-Sonora di la Luze) at an unknown date. You can see the artist at work here, can’t you? The washes of colour layered on top of each other, how they interact and pool to create depth. For me, this is about the messy joy of the creative process. Look at the way the brown of the wood panel shows through the thin paint. It’s like the artist is playing with transparency and opacity, letting the surface breathe. I love the dark green outline defining the Madonna’s cloak. It's such a bold move that really pops against the muted tones of the background. It reminds me of work by Marsden Hartley. Both artists share a raw, emotive approach, capturing the spiritual essence of their subjects with an unpretentious, almost childlike simplicity. It’s a reminder that art isn’t about perfection, but about feeling and expression.