Shoes 1935 - 1942

Jean Peszel made this watercolour painting called 'Shoes' and it really does look like a study, an exercise in seeing. There's something so delicate and tentative about the way Peszel has built up these forms with such subtle washes. It's almost like the shoes are emerging from a dream, barely there. The colours are muted, soft blues and pinks, and the paper itself is a warm, aged tone that adds to the overall sense of nostalgia. I am drawn to the way the ruffles around the shoes are suggested with such minimal means, just a few strokes of the brush. There is a sense of light and air that makes them feel almost weightless. You know, painting like this reminds us that it's the process of looking and responding that really matters, not just the finished product. Like Manet, Peszel is exploring the optical experience of seeing.