Fool and the Knight 1914

Charles M. Russell created this watercolor painting, Fool and the Knight, and what strikes me is the contrast he sets up, not just between the two figures, but in the very act of painting itself, a balancing act between intention and accident. I imagine Russell, brush in hand, drawn to the textures of the scene - the knight's metallic armor next to the fool's soft hat, the muscularity of the horses against the donkey's scrawny frame. See how he’s built up the snow with thin washes, letting the white of the paper breathe through the color, whereas the figures are painted thickly, asserting their presence. That fool on the donkey, though - he's the star of the show. The artist’s careful brushstrokes suggest the fool's playful attitude as he holds what looks like a flute. You can almost hear the jester’s mocking tune. In paintings like these, one can sense an echo of other artists, all the way back to medieval tapestries, like some ongoing conversation between image makers across time. You get the feeling that Russell is winking to the viewer to consider their own creative role in the world.