Mirror Support - Victory Head c. 1941

Harry Jennings made this circular study, *Mirror Support - Victory Head*, sometime in the 20th century, probably with watercolor. The approach to color here feels like an experiment, that sense of play and discovery that makes art feel so alive. The texture is so interesting; the paint seems to have been applied in thin washes, letting the paper breathe through. But in the face of the figure, there's more density, a build-up of layers that gives her such presence. I love the way the blues and greens peek through the brown tones, suggesting depth. And that border around the edge, it's got this almost fractal pattern. The painting brings to mind the work of someone like Charles Burchfield, who was similarly drawn to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, or maybe Alfred Maurer, who took up similar themes. Ultimately, the power of art lies in its ability to hold multiple possibilities at once.