Moon painter 

Title: The Moon Painter (Pintora de luna)

Author: Cordelia Urueta

Creation Date: 1952

Materials/Techniques: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 37.8 × 31.5 inches

Location: Private collection

In The Moon Painter  (Pintora de luna, 1952), Cordelia Urueta captures a figure poised in a celestial act, seemingly painting the moon itself against a vast, starlit night. This piece is a profound meditation on the artist’s role as an intermediary between the earthly and the cosmic, blending elements of Mexican culture with a sense of mystical transcendence.

Upon returning to Mexico after her time in Paris, Urueta’s artistic vision evolved, allowing her to see her homeland with new eyes. Her work from this period reflects a unique fusion of fantasy, light, shadow, and darkness, which she would later deepen as her eyesight began to fade. This shift led her to move from using bright colors to adopting a darker, more mystical palette, imbuing her pieces with a haunting, almost oppressive aura. In The Moon Painter, this transformation is evident in the intense color contrasts and the ethereal quality of the figure who, holding a brush to the moon, appears to transcend the earthly realm.

Women play a central role as protagonists in Urueta’s paintings, embodying secrets, love, and mystical visions. In this work, the lone figure stands against the dark expanse, embodying the power and mystery of creation, as if engaged in a ritual of artistic communion with the universe. Her exploration of color comes together in a spontaneous encounter with the unknown, expressing her profound need to feel rather than intellectualize her art.