Cigar Store Indian c. 1937

This is William Kerby’s watercolor painting of a Cigar Store Indian. Look at how Kerby has used thin washes of color and delicate lines to capture the texture of the wood carving. It’s like he is building up the form with layers of transparent color, allowing the light to filter through. He's really focused on the way the light hits the surface, creating subtle gradations and shadows. I bet Kerby stood in front of that cigar store Indian for hours studying it, trying to understand how the light defined its form. You can see his careful observation in the way he has rendered the folds of the figure’s clothing and the details of the face. Maybe he was thinking about the history of representation and how we create images of others. And what does it mean to represent someone who has already been represented so many times? Painters are always in conversation with each other, across time, trading ideas and inspiring each other’s creativity.