Retablo - Virgin & Child 1935 - 1942

E. Boyd made this Retablo of the Virgin and Child using watercolor, and the washes are so subtle and the lines are so delicate, you just know it was a labor of love. The colors are muted, not quite pastel, but very gentle. The drawing is firm but with tiny irregularities, so you can see the hand of the artist, the thinking-through-making. Look at the Virgin's dark blue mantle, with its simple but effective shading, and how it sits against the red of her dress, it's very striking. Then notice the large botanical motif below, it has a sort of art nouveau vibe that speaks to the influence of different eras on Boyd's work. There is a bit of folk art to the whole piece, which reminds me of the work of Sister Gertrude Morgan, with the same attention to composition and the same kind of devotional energy. This piece is all about the art of seeing, the art of believing, and how they come together.