Man's Great Coat c. 1937

Frederick Jackson made this watercolor painting of a “Man’s Great Coat.” What I see is the pale surface of the paper; how the brush drags a little, leaving traces of its path. I imagine Jackson, sleeves rolled up, perhaps a bit frustrated or very focused; gently coaxing pigment and water around the form of the coat. He mixes a subtle palette of pinks, greens, and yellows. What was he thinking about? The sleeves of the coat seem to float, hanging limp in the frame. With its many buttons and layered collar, the coat looks strangely devoid of a body to fill it. You can see it took the artist some time and effort to render the folds and curves; the angles just so. Painters are always in conversation with each other, echoing forms across time. Jackson’s coat reminds me of other still life paintings, maybe a Giorgio Morandi, or even a Chardin. Each artist is drawn to the shapes that surround them. They are trying to see, and in turn, they teach us how to see as well.