La reina de Mexico (The Queen of Mexico)

This drawing shows a throng of the faithful gathered in the nave of a church, almost certainly the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The consistency of Barton’s line tends to flatten his images, but close observation reveals a thumb in the composition’s foreground, in the manner of a photographer who has accidentally obscured the lens. Just beyond and to the left, a hand holds a stem, perhaps referencing the roses in the origin story of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Rick Barton (1928–1992)
La reina de Mexico (The Queen of Mexico), 1960
Pen and ink
The Morgan Library & Museum, gift of William and
Norma Anthony; 2017.278