Architectural Carving 1935 - 1942

This watercolor rendering of an architectural carving shows an eagle perched above the clouds, surrounded by golden rays of light. You can feel the hand of the anonymous artist carefully layering these washes. I am completely drawn to the artist’s decision to render a solid, three-dimensional sculpture as something so fluid and ethereal. I can imagine them, sitting at their table, dipping their brush in water, and thinking about how to translate weight and volume using light and color. What would it be like to be this artist, tasked with rendering this carving that probably already existed? Did they want to bring out something new? You know, every artist is influenced by those who came before, whether they know it or not. Here, this anonymous artist is in conversation with carvers, architects, and other artists across time. They're speaking to us now, saying: Look at what I saw, and feel what I felt. Painting is never really finished anyway, is it? It’s like an ongoing, open-ended question.