Cigar Store Indian c. 1937

William Kerby made this watercolor of a Cigar Store Indian sometime in the twentieth century. It's a painting of a sculpture, so we have art on art, and both are about sales, in a way, about catching your eye. The colours are muted, faded – like an old advertisement. You can see the underdrawing in places, which is a reminder that the image is constructed, laid down bit by bit. The texture is really interesting; Kerby uses the watercolor in a very physical way, with visible brushstrokes and layering. I love the way the paint is scrubbed onto the base of the statue, almost like the statue is disintegrating back into the earth. The figure stands on a wheeled base, which feels kind of absurd – the romance of the statue undercut with the mundane reality of advertising. This reminds me a bit of the work of Red Grooms, who also took folk art traditions and updated them with a postmodern sensibility. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what it means, and maybe it doesn't mean anything at all!