Figurehead: Indian 1935 - 1942

Hazel Hyde painted this watercolour, 'Figurehead: Indian', at some unknown date with an approach to mark-making which is more sketched than laboured. There's an incompleteness here. Note the way the figure fades toward the base and the sketchy treatment of the plinth on which he stands. The use of watercolour here lends itself well to the depiction of a figurehead; faded, weathered by the elements, and touched by many hands. The paint handling is very free. You get the impression that Hyde used a small brush, and in the green shawl you can see the way the brushstrokes have been layered, one over another, creating a sense of density and form, but also light and air. The effect is one of a ghost, a memory, or a kind of presence. One can see the influence of Sargent, particularly in her handling of light. But, where Sargent captured the gentry, Hyde memorialised the everyman.