La Cueva 1920

Armando Reveron made this painting, La Cueva, and what strikes me is the way the image seems to dissolve into a haze of blues and grays. It's like looking at a dream, or a memory fading at the edges. You can almost feel Reveron feeling his way through the painting, adding layer upon layer. Looking closely, I see how the texture isn't smooth at all; it’s rough and uneven, like a wall in a cave. The paint seems thin, almost like a wash, but the buildup of strokes creates a tangible surface. The red accents on the figure to the left draw my eye, they are not quite an after-thought but they're almost an accent of passion. It reminds me a bit of Odilon Redon, that kind of symbolist thing of trying to capture something more felt than seen. Of course, with art there are no rules, just possibilities, interpretations, and that's what makes it so endlessly fascinating.