Pa. German Carved Bird c. 1940

Carl Strehlau made this Pa. German Carved Bird with what looks like watercolour or gouache; look at the way he lets the paint be itself. It's like he’s feeling his way through the process, not forcing anything. I love the way Strehlau handled the surface, so thin in places it's almost translucent, and then those little dabs of blue-grey. It’s a real record of the hand, you know? The way the colours bleed into each other around the bird’s body is very tender. Then there are the bird’s legs, these tiny lines holding the form so delicately. It's like he’s celebrating the simple act of seeing, of noticing. It reminds me a little bit of Arthur Dove, that same sense of trying to capture something essential. It reminds us that art is always a conversation, and there's no one right way to see anything.