The Gerber’s Baby, Gerber’s Baby Food Advertising Illustration c. 1930 - 1940

This is Haddon Hubbard Sundblom’s painting of the Gerber baby, but I don’t know when he made it, or even exactly what he made it with! The charm of this picture really comes from the process. The artist is so unafraid of the paint, like a kid in a candy store! Look at that arm reaching up to the curtains: it’s built from layers of buttery impasto. It’s so physical, you can practically feel the heft of the paint. The whole scene is painted in these soft, pastel shades that makes it feel like a hazy dream. I love that the brushwork is so loose and visible. It reminds me of other artists like Manet, who used visible brushstrokes to capture a sense of fleeting moments. It's like Sundblom is telling us that art is a conversation, always borrowing and building on what came before. Ultimately, it's up to us to decide what it all means.