Salem Dolls 1935 - 1942

Beverly Chichester painted these "Salem Dolls" at an unknown date, with unknown materials. Look how the artist is interested in the process, with light washes and thin outlines. These four dolls have a totemic quality that is created by the marks made on each of them. I love the way she focuses on the physicality of the medium and the surface of the image. The colors are rich browns and reds, and the light is soft, almost hazy, which gives the painting a mystical feel. The dolls have been carved with different symbols, a series of triangles, rectangles, hexagons and what could even be interpreted as runes. It’s almost as if the act of painting becomes a conversation with the object itself. This reminds me of the work of Forrest Bess, whose paintings were often based on his own personal mythology and spirituality. Both artists embrace ambiguity and multiple interpretations, inviting us to see the world in a new and different way.