Crucifix 1938

Carl O'Bergh made this watercolor painting of a crucifix sometime in the mid-20th century. O'Bergh's got a soft touch with the watercolors. The colors are muted, almost like a memory, and the marks are gentle, building up the form bit by bit. There's something really vulnerable about how O'Bergh depicts the body. The paint is thin, transparent, so you see the paper underneath. Those little dabs of red suggesting blood... It's not about grand drama. It’s in the details. Look at the way the paint pools in the shadows, suggesting the weight of the body. The brushstrokes are delicate, but they build up to create a sense of real suffering, a figure suspended. Thinking about other artists who wrestle with similar themes, maybe someone like Georges Rouault, but with a quieter, more personal touch. Art’s like a big conversation, everyone riffing off each other, trying to make sense of the world in their own way.