Boy's Coat and Trousers c. 1940

Henry De Wolfe made this drawing of a boy's coat and trousers, using pencil and watercolor. The suit is rendered with such attention to detail, you can almost feel the weight of the fabric. The black of the coat is deep and velvety, while the trousers have a kind of soft, worn-in quality. Look closely, and you'll see the fine lines that create the texture of the cloth and the subtle shading that gives the garments their form. The process feels very present, De Wolfe's mark-making is evident in the way he's built up the layers of color, especially in the coat's lapel, where you can see the subtle gradations from charcoal to near black. There's a similar interest in the work of the early 20th-century painter, Florine Stettheimer, who used a similar color palette in her society portraits. Ultimately, this is about the pleasure of looking, and trusting your own response to the work.