Iron Cross 1937

Dayton Brown made this watercolor of an Iron Cross, and looking at the brushwork, it’s all about the subtle build-up, the layering of thin washes to create depth and form. See how the color isn't flat? It's got a real rusty, earthy feel, like the cross has been sitting outside in the elements. The artist coaxes the paper into being something other than paper. And that elongated stem! It reminds me of a divining rod. Brown shows the cross not just as a shape, but as an object with weight and history. Someone made this cross, someone handled it, and now Brown has given it to us anew. This object quality gives it a kind of presence. It makes me think of Marsden Hartley and his fascination with German military objects, turning potentially loaded symbols into studies of form and color, objects of beauty.