Boy's Suit 1935 - 1942

Ruggiero Pierotti made this watercolour called Boy's Suit sometime during his long life. Look at the way he’s marked the paper, so gently, as if barely there. That's the nature of watercolour I suppose, this incredible lightness and transparency, a world away from thick, impastoed oil paint. But he builds the image up with layers of delicate marks, using the white of the paper to suggest the sheen on the jacket and the bow. You can see how the stripes on the trousers are not solid lines, but broken and uneven, giving them a kind of shimmer. And the brown of the jacket, it's not just one colour, but many shades blended together to give the impression of depth and texture. It’s all suggestion, illusion. It's a world away from Balthus, but I am reminded of his portraits of children, the careful depiction of clothing, the sense of formality. Perhaps Pierotti was also interested in capturing something of the character of his sitter through what they wore. With art, there is so much to see and discover!