Kerchief Scarf c. 1938

Erwin Schwabe made this 'Kerchief Scarf' with what looks like watercolor on paper. The soft greens and whites create this cooly lit scene. I can almost feel the cloth, see it breathing on the page. I can just imagine Schwabe carefully mixing his pigments, trying to get the colors just right, a slow, methodical dance, the brushstrokes mimicking the weave of the fabric. As a painter, I know this back and forth, this careful balance between intention and accident, control and letting go. I imagine Schwabe, like all of us, was trying to capture something essential about this object, its texture, its pattern, but also something about the way it feels to be in the world. Painting is like a conversation, and in this picture Schwabe is speaking to us, sharing a glimpse of his world, his way of seeing.