Wall Painting and Baptismal Niche c. 1938

Frank Barks made this watercolour of a wall painting and baptismal niche, we don't know exactly when, but he was painting for a long time! The architectural elements—arches, columns, tiled floor—all feel so carefully rendered and yet so dreamlike. I can just imagine Barks' focus as he painted each delicate line and shape. The colors are muted and soft, red-browns, blues, greys. I wonder, was he trying to capture the feeling of a real space, or create a scene that existed only in his imagination? The niche itself is dark and cavernous, a kind of void within the architecture. I can imagine the possibilities that the baptismal niche represents, and, you know, the kind of nothingness, too. Looking at Barks' watercolor, I'm reminded of other artists who found inspiration in architecture and sacred spaces. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time, borrowing and riffing and adding their own spin.