Woman's Accordian 1938

John Thorsen made this painting of a 'Woman's Accordion', but we don't know exactly when. The way the accordion hovers on the page, gives me a sense of the quiet, thoughtful process that Thorsen must have gone through making it. I love the different wood finishes he's rendered. They're almost jewel-like in their sheen. Look at the top right of the instrument, at the details of the keys. He's carefully built up the surface with thin layers of paint to capture the play of light and shadow. And then there’s the floral interior, which suggests the kind of material you might find inside a jewelry box. The whole thing has a real sense of depth and texture, a kind of gentle trompe-l'oeil that recalls the work of outsider artists like Henry Darger. Ultimately, Thorsen’s painting reminds us that art is a conversation, a way of seeing and thinking that evolves over time, and a process that allows us to find beauty in the unexpected.