Caravan in the desert 1934

This painting, 'Caravan in the Desert' by Romualdo Locatelli, looks like it came into being from a whirlwind of ochre, tan, and sienna pigments applied with loose, gestural brushstrokes. I can imagine Locatelli squinting in the harsh sun, trying to capture the heat haze and movement of the figures as they emerge in and out of the sand. The camels and riders are kind of dissolved into the ground – is it the wind? Or is the artist working fast to capture the image? Look how the paint seems to mimic the very texture of sand, creating a surface that feels both gritty and shimmering. The artist’s touch here feels like a dance between observation and feeling. Locatelli is playing with what he sees and with art history too – maybe he's trying to push painting into a new language, somewhere between figuration and pure abstraction, a direction so many artists have been exploring since. It feels like an invitation to get lost in the mirage.