Decorative Panel from Rail Car Interior c. 1936

Wellington Blewett made this decorative panel for a rail car interior with watercolour and graphite on paper. I see a pale yellow striation overlaid with a symmetrical arrangement of urns overflowing with roses and foliage. The urns, in a muted palette of reds and greens, are connected by graceful tendrils and scrolls to a central fleur-de-lis motif. I'm struck by the artist's attention to detail, each element rendered with precision and care. The vertical lines in the background remind me of a minimalist Agnes Martin. I think of the artist on a train, the movement of the vehicle mirrored in the rhythm of the pattern. The roses bursting from the urns are like fireworks. There's something comforting in its symmetry, a sense of order amidst the chaos of travel, offering a moment of beauty and respite amidst the mundane.