"Humpty Dumpty" Jumping Jack 1935 - 1942

This Jumping Jack titled “Humpty Dumpty” was made by Robert Gilson, who lived from 1855 to 1995, and so he had a long life, full of change, of which we know nothing about! The puppet has a muted palette with accents of red and blue, it makes me wonder about the act of painting itself. It’s all trial and error, isn’t it? Shift, emerge, shift again. I like that Gilson immortalised a child's toy, a plaything designed for joy. And that fixed smile! It makes me think about what it might have been like to make this. What was Gilson thinking? Maybe he was thinking about his own childhood, or perhaps he had children himself? A certain gesture, a mark, can communicate all that feeling, all that intention, all that meaning. I am reminded of other artists who work with found objects and folk art, always in conversation and exchange across time. It’s an ongoing exchange! We need to make more room for ambiguity in art. I think we should always look at a painting with a sense of the unknown.