AFA Summer 2020

2020 Antiques & Fine Art 79 Born in Bisbee, Arizona, to parents of Mexican descent, Barela single-handedly transformed the two-hundred-year-old aesthetic of the carved Santo (saint) by allowing the natural characteristics of the wood to become the basis for his interpretation of the figure depicted, as well as allowing his personal expression of life to shine through the figure itself. WPA officials encouraged his sculptures, which were acclaimed in the program and led to his being included in the groundbreaking 1936 Museum of Modern Art exhibition New Directions in American Art . As a result of his participation in the show, he was declared “the discovery of the year” by Time magazine. Patrociño Barela (American, ca. 1900–1964), Crucifixion, ca. 1950. Pine. H. 19¼ in. Peace, ca. 1950. Juniper root. H. 13½ in.