A Prayer 2019

Daria Theodora, sometime in the 20th century, painted ‘A Prayer’ with watercolors and a fine pen. I can imagine her, bent over the paper, feeling the pull of the image, layering the colors, the way the cosmos are formed. I’m struck by how the figure emerges from a vibrant garden that is simultaneously a star-filled cosmos. She’s surrounded by these shapes, these feelings, and the colors seem to lift her up, towards a space of light. Theodore’s technique is meticulous, and the way she uses layering to build texture and depth reminds me of the Pre-Raphaelites and their detailed, symbolic compositions. It makes me think about the ways artists are continually inspired, riffing off each other's ideas and techniques across different eras. It’s like a conversation that never ends. And in the end, that's what painting is all about. It's about feeling, seeing, and making something that resonates with others.