Untitled (Wall), 1943 Gouache on paper mounted on linen covered board 10 5/8 x 13 ½ inches Collection of the Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi 2014.16.29

Hood created Untitled (Wall) while working in her first Mexican studio, located at Madrid 13. Due to the cost of materials, she was only able to complete small works, often in gouache, such as this painting. Although intimate in scale, the painting conveys great depth of space and power. She echoed the shape and tones from the earthen Mexican building walls that surrounded her with flashes of bright red and blue, colors that referred to the vibrant clothing and décor of Mexico. This barren landscape, filled with rocky outcrops manifests Hood’s fascination with Myan lore and mysticism while also symbolizing her own anxieties of being in a new place. While she worked in this muted palette for a limited time, compositionally, Untitled (Wall) is a clear precursor to Hood’s later works that effortlessly blended realism and abstraction with mysterious thrusting forms and enigmatic swirls of paint. Hood featured this work and others in this style to great acclaim in her 1943 solo exhibition at Galeria de Arte Maria Asunsolo (GAMA) in Mexico City