Goat 1934

Arthur Dove made this watercolor called 'Goat' with fluid, earthy strokes of green, brown, and white. I love how the image comes into being through trial, error, and a whole lot of intuition. I can just imagine Dove, with his brush loaded, stepping back, squinting, maybe muttering to himself as he coaxes this creature into existence. You can see the layering, the building up of tones, like he's feeling his way through the form, not just depicting it. It's not about getting it ‘right,’ but about finding the essence of ‘goat-ness’ through color and shape. Look at that single stroke defining the belly – so simple, yet it carries the weight and roundness of the animal. Dove's really playing with abstraction, anticipating artists like Marsden Hartley, or even Milton Avery, who are all part of this amazing conversation about how to make a painting. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty. And that’s where the magic happens, right?