Wooden Rooster c. 1938

Sadie Berman made this 'Wooden Rooster'—it seems like a transcription of a found object, made with pencil and watercolor on paper. I can imagine Berman delicately applying the washes of brown, black, and white, coaxing out the form of the rooster, trying to capture something essential about it—it's woodenness, it's cockiness! Look at how the grainy texture gives it that feeling of a rough, carved surface. The red dots on the wing and that bright comb feel so alive against the muted tones. It's like she's breathing life into this inanimate object. It makes me think about the folk art tradition, and how artists find beauty and meaning in everyday things, imbuing them with spirit and personality. I wonder what other objects caught her eye? This rooster feels like part of a bigger conversation, a lineage of artists looking, seeing, and transforming the world around them.