Man's Shoulder Pouch 1935 - 1942

Melita Hofmann made this drawing of a Man's Shoulder Pouch with pencil and crayon, and looking at the original, you can really see how she built it up layer by layer. The colours are so vibrant, yet they're contained within these precise, almost geometric shapes. I can imagine her, carefully choosing each colour, each stroke building into this intricate design. It's like she's not just drawing a pouch but also mapping out a whole world of patterns and colors. Does she maybe wonder who might have worn this pouch, and what stories it might hold? The way she uses color here reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint, another artist who used color to convey something beyond the surface. You get the sense that she is looking to capture more than just the object. It is more of an essence, or a vibe of ‘pouchness’, if there ever was such a thing. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, that each artist builds on what came before, transforming it through their own unique vision.