Figurehead: Quaker 1935 - 1942

This piece, "Figurehead: Quaker," was made at some unknown date by an anonymous artist. It really gets you thinking about the possibilities and limitations of representation, right? The textures and tones play off each other in interesting ways. The head and torso are shaded with smooth gradations, yet the medium evokes the carved wood that it represents. Look closely at the buttons on his coat: they seem almost too perfectly round and evenly spaced, like an idea of buttons rather than actual buttons. The cravat at his neck looks so soft you could almost touch it, the tones here are all so subtle and understated. It has a kind of unassuming directness that reminds me of some folk art or outsider art. There's this beautiful tension between the real and the artificial. It’s almost like the artist is winking at us, reminding us that art is always a game of appearances.