Indian c. 1938

Frank Gutting made this watercolor painting, Indian, at some point between 1855 and 1995, when he was alive. I’m imagining Gutting building up those layers of color, shifting from the pinkish-red shawl to the green of the base and the strange headdress. He had to be patient, letting the colors dry, testing them out. It’s like he’s trying to figure something out, almost like a science experiment, but instead of chemicals, it’s color, line and form. The level of detail is so careful and considered, especially in the face, which is a bit unsettling. The whole figure has a stylized appearance, and that just makes me wonder what kind of image this artist had of the person he was making. There's a naive quality to the work. Painters are always in conversation with each other across time. Gutting here perhaps gives us an idea of how important it is to be in conversation with yourself while you're making.