Bonnet 1935 - 1942

Rosalia Lane made this sweet, intimate watercolour, 'Bonnet', without telling us when. It’s a study of a fashionable hat, mostly monochrome, but so alive with detail. I can imagine Rosalia, brush in hand, carefully building up the layers of wash, from the wide brim to the frothy lace trim and the delicate ribbons that cascade down. I feel the artist really delighted in observing how light plays across the hat’s surface, capturing the subtle gradations of tone with incredible sensitivity. What might Rosalia have been thinking as she painted? I'm thinking about the everyday pleasures and small, often overlooked moments of beauty. Rosalia reminds us of the importance of paying attention to the world around us. Painters are always in conversation with one another, across time. This little watercolour shows the artist’s own way of seeing, thinking, and feeling, a sensibility that resonates even now.