Plate 28: The Holy Family: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

Here's a mysterious and iconic Holy Family, rendered by an anonymous hand with watercolor on paper. I love how the artist has built a sense of solidity and flatness simultaneously through outlining. I can imagine them working, maybe in a small studio or at a table, carefully mixing the watercolors, trying to get just the right shade of red or yellow. There's a really satisfying sense of balance and symmetry, and the lines are so clear and defined, yet the colours slightly bleed, giving the work a soft, dreamlike quality. The central figures of Mary, Joseph and child, enclosed within the architectural space, feel both monumental and intimate. The artist has achieved a really compelling image. I think they must have been thinking about how to create a sense of reverence while also making something approachable.