"David and Goliath" Marionette c. 1937

Ruth Abrams made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a David and Goliath Marionette. I love to think about how a painting comes into being, shifting, emerging, and all the trial and error, it’s kind of like intuition on paper. Looking at the drawing, I sympathize with Abrams, imagining her trying to capture the essence of this small, slightly absurd puppet, perhaps in her studio, surrounded by other artworks and materials. The colors are muted, and the lines are soft, like a memory or a dream. I wonder what she was thinking when she made it? Maybe she was drawn to the material aspect of the puppet, the textures, colors, and the physicality of the medium, like how the graphite lines give such depth to the marionette's face. It feels like a gesture, a quick sketch, and it communicates a certain feeling, a kind of melancholic humor. I love how artists are in conversation across time, inspiring each other's creativity, embracing ambiguity, and allowing for multiple interpretations.