Cigar Store Indian c. 1940

This is Walter Hochstrasser’s painting of a cigar store Indian; the date of its making is unknown, but it’s rendered in watercolor. It’s a process of careful accumulation here, like layering thoughts over time. You can see the wood grain coming through the paint. It’s thin, transparent. There’s something about the way Hochstrasser handles the medium that makes you think of folk art traditions; the history of craft, a kind of art that embraces process and isn’t afraid to show its hand. Look at how the green and red feathers are rendered! Artmaking is an ongoing conversation, and this painting has a naïve quality that links it to artists like Horace Pippin or even Bill Traylor. It reminds us that art is not about perfection but about expressing something authentic.