Plate 41: Saint Barbara: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

This is Plate 41, Saint Barbara, from a portfolio of Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico, made by an anonymous artist with ink and watercolour. Look at the way the anonymous artist used these materials, watercolour especially, to create a sense of depth and texture with a minimal palette. I love the way the lines are drawn, like the image is etched out of the surface. The image seems to emerge from the material, like a memory. The cross in the top left looks like it has been stamped, or blocked out. But look closer, see how it doesn't quite meet the line? It's a real giveaway that this was made by a real person! It reminds me of some of the Russian icon painters, who also worked with very limited means and had an incredible economy of form. Both embrace imperfection over 'correct' representation. It tells you that art is an ongoing conversation, made by us all, across time. The best art opens a space of imagination.