Woman's Shoe c. 1940

This delicate watercolor, "Woman’s Shoe," was made by Daniel Marshack at an unknown date. It's a funny kind of portrait, isn't it, and quite haunting. I imagine Marshack, brush in hand, carefully building up the pale blue of the boot, maybe mixing the colours, adding water, testing the consistency. There's a slight wobble to the lines, a gentle unevenness to the surface that makes it feel so intimate and alive. The more I look at it, the more personal it feels; the careful rendering of the laces, the soft curve of the heel, and the way he’s attended to the details of this object. We get to see the love of his touch, his affection for this single shoe. It reminds us that all artists, whether they know it or not, are always in conversation with each other. And that what we see, no matter what the subject, is just one side of the story.