Cast Iron Pigeon c. 1936

Rex Bush, who lived from 1855 to 1995, made this Cast Iron Pigeon. It looks like it might be watercolor on paper. The colors are understated. Soft grays and whites give the pigeon a ghostly, almost ethereal quality. The texture seems smooth, with delicate washes of color that allow the paper to breathe underneath, the artist’s touch is subtle. Notice how the artist renders the pigeon's form with simplified shapes. The head and body are reduced to basic geometric forms, lending it an almost toy-like quality. The feet and base show the traces of age and wear, and the use of color feels like a gentle acknowledgement of time’s passage. It reminds me a bit of some of the folk art that was happening a bit earlier in the 20th century, artists like Joseph Pickett, who brought an honest, straightforward approach to their subject matter. Bush's pigeon, like Pickett's landscapes, embraces ambiguity and simplicity, inviting us to see the world with fresh eyes.