Cigar Store Indian c. 1937

Walter Hochstrasser made this painting, Cigar Store Indian, using watercolor to depict the original sculpture. Look at the way Hochstrasser has described the form in a very simplified way, using a limited palette of earthy browns, reds, and blues. There is a real directness in the application of the paint, a kind of factuality, which has the effect of flattening the subject, making it more iconic. Notice how the artist describes the wood grain of the sculpture with delicate strokes and varied color. The textures give depth and dimension, and make the piece feel so alive. Even though it’s representational, it’s also about the materiality of paint, the artist’s hand, and how we create meaning through the process. This reminds me of the work of Joseph Stella. Like Stella, Hochstrasser allows the painting to be a space of ongoing conversations and exchange of ideas across time, emphasizing ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed or definitive meanings.