Hand Puppet - Chinaman c. 1936

Joseph Shapiro made this ‘Hand Puppet - Chinaman’ from an unknown date and with unknown materials. Look at how the paint seems to have been applied quickly, wet into wet, especially in that dark, billowing robe. The strokes blend and bleed into each other, a real dance of colour and form. What gets me is the puppet's face. It’s like a mask, but one painted with such care, such a personal touch. The eyes, especially, have this intense, almost piercing quality. You can almost imagine the artist hovering over this section, trying to get it just right. It gives the whole piece a strange sense of life, even though it’s just paint on…whatever this is painted on! It reminds me a bit of Red Grooms' sculptural cartoons. Like, what if art doesn’t always have to be so serious, you know? Shapiro embraces the silly side of life, reminding us of art's playful potential.