After Supper 1935

Horace Pippin made this drawing, After Supper, with graphite on paper. It's so delicate. I love how Pippin lets the pencil wander, creating these soft, almost hazy scenes. You can really see the process, the way he builds up the image with layers of lines. The texture of the paper peeks through, adding to the dreamy quality, a playground full of muted tones. It gives the scene a sense of intimacy, like a memory fading at the edges. Look at the two figures near the center, their hands raised high, almost touching – that simple line, so full of emotion. The image is both intimate and open ended, like a half-finished story. Pippin's work reminds me a bit of Bill Traylor, another self-taught artist who captured everyday life with such honesty and simplicity. In the end, art is just this ongoing conversation, right? We're all just borrowing, stealing, and transforming each other's ideas.