Ox Collar 1938

Alexander Anderson made this watercolor painting of an Ox Collar sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The colour palette is muted, mostly earth tones, with hints of metal. It's clear that Anderson was interested in process. You can see how the brushstrokes build up the form, layer by layer, like constructing an object in real time. I love the way the texture of the collar is rendered: the rough, worn leather, the rusted metal. There’s a real focus on the material qualities of the object. The light catches on the curve of the collar, highlighting every imperfection, every mark of use. Look at the lower part of the collar, the deep shadow, the way the paint is applied thinly, almost like a wash. That kind of attention to detail gives the painting a real sense of depth and presence. It reminds me a bit of some of Charles Demuth’s industrial landscapes, that same interest in the beauty of everyday objects. But where Demuth is cool and detached, Anderson feels warmer, more intimate. Maybe that's because, for Anderson, art is about an ongoing conversation across time, and it's about embracing ambiguity.