A la Carga 1963

This striking print, A la Carga, was made in 1963 by the Colombian artist Guillermo Silva Santamaría, and seems to be made with some kind of ink or dye. You know, printmaking is really about embracing the happy accidents that come with the process. The flatness of the figures is interesting. There’s almost no shading to create depth, which makes the horse and rider feel like a decorative motif, or even a playing card. The texture is another notable thing – look closely and you can see these tiny, precise marks that create a kind of ornate pattern on the horse’s body. It's as if the artist is building up the image with these small, repetitive gestures. It reminds me of a tapestry! This sense of rhythm and repetition makes me think of someone like Henri Matisse. He also had this way of flattening space and using decorative patterns to create visual interest. Of course, Santamaría brings his own unique sensibility to the table, creating an image that feels both timeless and very much of its time. Art is really a conversation across time, isn’t it?