"Bell in Hand" Tavern Sign 1935 - 1942

This "Bell in Hand" Tavern Sign, of indeterminate date, was made by an anonymous artist, probably in watercolor. I love the way the artist thought about form. The rendering is really subtle, almost like a delicate dance between the representation of shape and light. The colours are earthy: browns, creams, black, which give it a sense of being of-the-earth, or maybe even ancient. If you look closely at the hand, you can see the different layers of pigment that were used to create the illusion of depth and texture. It's not just a flat surface but the different shades of colour give it a feeling of dimension. Notice the dark shadow under the knuckles, giving the hand weight and volume. It reminds me a little of Philip Guston, in the simplicity of the rendering and the use of everyday forms. Like Guston, this painting embraces ambiguity over perfection, offering us space to imagine and interpret.