Doll c. 1936

Jacob Gielens made this watercolor "Doll" in a style that really celebrates the process of folk art. The colors are so muted, almost like faded memories, and the way the doll is rendered, it's not about perfection, it's about the feel of the thing. Look how the red on the jacket just bleeds into the white. It reminds me of the way we hold onto things, not for their perfect image, but for the emotions they stir. There is a directness to this piece, a sense of the artist really just going for it, capturing something essential about the doll and maybe about childhood itself. Gielens reminds me a little of Henry Darger, another artist who was interested in themes of innocence and the kind of hidden worlds that kids create. It's like art is just this big, ongoing conversation.