"David and Goliath" Marionette c. 1937

Ruth Abrams made this watercolor of a David and Goliath marionette sometime in the 20th century. The way the colours pool and layer, and the visible pencil lines underneath, give the piece a sense of movement. You can almost feel the puppet twitching! The transparency of the watercolour gives it an ethereal quality, like looking at a ghost. The colour palette is soft and muted, pinks and blues. It’s like a faded memory. I’m drawn to the way the gold buttons pop against the faded red of the marionette’s body. They’re these little glimmers, catching the light, drawing the eye in a really playful way. Abrams’ watercolour reminds me a little of Red Grooms’ work – especially his 3D constructions of cityscapes and figures. Like Grooms, she embraces a kind of playful, off-kilter perspective, using colour and line to create something that feels both familiar and totally strange. It’s a reminder that art is not just about representation, but about imagination.