Man's Shoes c. 1936

Roberta Spicer made this watercolor of a man's shoe, and two perspectives of its sole, in the 20th century. I can imagine her looking intently, trying to capture every detail of the shoe's form and construction. She uses a restricted palette of warm browns, tans, and blacks. It's quite a practical painting in some ways. What was Spicer thinking when she created this work? Was this an exercise in observation, a study of form and function? Or maybe there’s a story here, a personal connection to the shoe itself? Perhaps it was a portrait of a loved one, depicted through the object most closely associated with his daily life. Thinking about the way the sole is depicted, the holes seem like eyes staring out at the viewer.