Dimensions: overall: 27.6 x 21.9 cm (10 7/8 x 8 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 20: high; 10" wide
Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0
Edna Rex made this picture of a bellows, with simple washes of color on paper, sometime during her long life. It looks like the kind of piece where the process is about trying to capture the right tone, the feel of the object. The colors are muted, almost like memory itself. See how the brown is layered to create depth, but remains translucent, letting the paper breathe. Then there's this confident outline, like a child's drawing, but precise. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter, who also painted the everyday with a loving, slightly detached eye. Look at the smaller sketch in the corner, where Rex plays with seeing the bellows from a slightly different perspective. Art's like this – it’s not just about what you see, but how many ways you can see it. It's a kind of conversation that keeps going, from one artist to another, one generation to the next. The image remains open, inviting multiple readings.
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