Man's Shirt c. 1937

Here's Henry De Wolfe's 'Man's Shirt,' made with pencil, watercolor, and graphite on paper. This shirt has such a neat, linear sensibility! I can imagine De Wolfe, carefully rendering each stripe, contemplating the geometry of its form. The symmetry and repetition create a rhythmic pattern that's almost meditative. What I love is how the meticulous detail contrasts with the ghost image floating ethereally in the background. It's like a half-remembered dream or a previous draft, adding another dimension to the picture. You can feel the artist turning this shirt over in his mind to work out all angles and possible futures! Thinking about other artists, I am reminded of those like Jasper Johns who transformed everyday objects into something rich and strange. De Wolfe engages with the everyday and makes it pop. It also touches on something so basic: clothing, an item of comfort, identity, and expression.