Dimensions: overall: 28.2 x 24.2 cm (11 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.)
Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0
These "Man's Slippers" were rendered with watercolor by Mary E. Humes. I love the way Humes embraced the flatness of the paper. It feels like she’s not trying to trick us into thinking these slippers are popping off the page. Instead, she’s making these very deliberate shapes and lines. The way she uses the color to give the illusion of form is really smart. Look at how she uses those tiny dashes of red to define the curve of the heel on the left slipper. And the satin sheen on the black shoe, all those whitey-grey marks that give it shape. The whole painting feels like a careful observation of form and light. It’s like she’s saying, "Here are some slippers, and here’s how I see them, not trying to make them ‘real’, but honest”. It makes me think of Fairfield Porter, a painter known for his representational, but very honest style. Neither were afraid of a little awkwardness, because sometimes that's where the truth lies, right?
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