Weather Vane 1935 - 1942

Carl Strehlau made this weather vane, we don’t know exactly when, using watercolor and graphite. Look at the way he's laid down the watercolor, so flat and even, like he's savoring the process. There’s something about the texture of the paper and the way the watercolor sits on it that makes me think of folk art. There’s a particular spot on the horse’s flank where the pigment pools, creating this darker, almost bruised tone. It feels so direct. The way the rider is captured, with his arm raised as if to gesture at the elements, is both precise and playful. This reminds me of Joseph Yoakum. Strehlau embraces a vision of the world that is uniquely his own. He makes marks that don't necessarily conform to conventional representation but offer an alternative way of seeing. Art, in the end, is just a big conversation across time, a collection of different voices and perspectives.