Figurehead c. 1936

James Vail made this watercolor drawing, 'Figurehead', sometime in the mid-20th century; it's like a plan, or a proposal, for a sculpture. The shapes are carefully delineated in pencil, before being brought to life through translucent washes of color. I love the way Vail renders the folds of fabric around the figure's neck, with these tight, parallel lines, they remind me of Eva Hesse’s rope sculptures. The paint is applied thinly and evenly, creating a smooth, almost polished surface. There's a real attention to detail here, from the way the light catches the figure's cheekbones to the delicate rendering of the feathers in their headdress. It makes me think of other American artists, like Marsden Hartley, who were interested in depicting Native American subjects. Like Hartley, Vail seems drawn to the power and dignity of the figure, but here, there's also a real sense of tenderness, and vulnerability too. In the end, art is all about conversations across time, a constant back and forth between artists, ideas, and images.