10212 („Es ist das grüne Kleid …“) 1930

John Elsas made this artwork with watercolor and pencil on paper. It is a pale apparition, a ghostly figure rendered in gentle strokes of teal, standing on a blue line, with handwriting below it. Imagine Elsas's hand moving across the paper, the delicate brushstrokes layering to form this ethereal being. It is kind of like the painting is emerging from a dream. I mean, I think it’s so cool how he captures a sense of lightness and transience with such simple means. I wonder what Elsas was thinking as he made it. Was he trying to capture a fleeting moment of hope or longing? The way the figure seems to float on the page makes me think of the in-between spaces. The teal wash gives it a kind of melancholy, which makes me want to know more about Elsas and his story. I find myself in conversation with him across time.