Santos Retablos 1936

Maude Valle made this Retablo, probably with simple watercolors and a lot of faith. Look at the way the colours just seep into the paper, like prayers soaking into the soul. I wonder if she laboured over it or if it came quickly, intuitively. The brown tones remind me of the earth, the sparseness of the paint a kind of humility. It reminds me of Guston’s late paintings and the work of Forrest Bess, full of the same raw need to create something, to make sense of the world through images. See how the saint’s robe is outlined in the barest of strokes? It’s like she’s saying, ‘Here, this is what matters, this simple offering.’ The red accents, like drops of blood, speak of sacrifice and devotion. Painting is a conversation across time, you know? Valle's quiet devotion speaks to me, urging me to find that same honesty in my own work, that willingness to lay bare the soul.