Figurehead c. 1939

Helen E. Gilman made this rendering of 'Figurehead' using watercolor and graphite on paper. The marks, in a range of diluted hues, gently build to describe a regal object. The whole thing is a kind of study in looking. The watercolor paint is applied in thin washes, allowing the whiteness of the paper to shine through, giving it an airy, translucent quality. There's a real vulnerability to the piece. The artist seems less concerned with perfect representation, and more curious about exploring the qualities of the medium, and how it can be used to evoke a mood. Check out the crown. See how Gilman’s use of graphite gives definition to the form, grounding it somehow. It reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley's interest in folk art, and how he translated this into his own very particular language. It's this embrace of the imperfect, the slightly off-kilter, that gives the piece its charm.