Santo 1936

Maude Valle painted this Santo at an unknown date using watercolor and graphite on paper. She engages with the tradition of Catholic devotional imagery, specifically the representation of saints, which, in its original Spanish Colonial context, was used to convert indigenous people to Catholicism. Valle seems to question the cultural role of religious iconography. The figures painted on the Santo’s dress are rendered in a deliberately crude style, reflecting the folk-art tradition. By using graphite and watercolor on paper to emulate the look of a painting on wood, Valle calls attention to the commercialization of religious imagery as a form of cultural production. Is it sacred or profane? Authentic or fake? Valle leaves us to decide. To understand the artistic traditions that influenced Valle, look to works by 19th century Mexican artists in our online collection. Consider also the institutional history of ethnographic museums and the role that cultural exchange programs played in the development of modern art.