Bandbox c. 1937

This is Joseph Rothenberg’s "Bandbox" painted in watercolor and graphite, though we don't know exactly when. Rothenberg’s vision is so cool, so singular. The colours are really interesting; the shades of blue, which is almost a naive rendering, feel like a memory of colour more than the thing itself. This is an important distinction, because it speaks to the way Rothenberg understood artmaking as a process of internalizing, then externalizing a personal experience. I love the texture and the way the colors are laid down. The paint application is pretty thin but the marks are clear, almost like he’s revealing each step in the process. He's not trying to trick you into thinking it's real. Look at the tree; each dab of pigment has its own life, like individual cells coming together. This sense of playful construction reminds me a bit of Henri Rousseau, who took the world he knew and turned it into something completely new. Ultimately this bandbox is a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, always open to new voices and new ways of seeing.