Observing and Crafting an Art Language Around Nature: Talita Zaragoza on Ways of Seeing Landscapes
On a recent visit to the artist Talita Zaragoza, as soon as I entered her studio, my eyes were taken by a painting on the wall. It features fields of soft and warm colors delineated with organic shapes that seem stretched, creating elongated and linear forms running in horizontal and vertical directions. In "Untitled Memory I" (2023), a portion of the linen canvas was left blank and unpainted. The work reminded me of territories on a map and also abstract landscapes. Following an initial wonder, the intricacy of the composition had a lingering effect on me. My eyes went back and forth, accompanying the flow of the lines, its twists and turns, in an attempt to decipher the space the artist created, one that brings together multiple perspectives of natural landscapes. I left that day with impressions and notes from our conversation about her paintings that made me revolve around how she has compellingly constructed this and other artworks. Inspired by John Berger's idea that "Every image embodies a way of seeing," I wondered about the role of observation in her practice and how she articulated her own views on the canvas.
