Wallpaper from Bandbox c. 1937

This ‘Wallpaper from Bandbox’ was made by Charlotte Angus, we don’t know exactly when, using watercolor, graphite, and possibly pastel on paper. There’s something dreamy about the palette - muted pinks, ochres and greens, all bleeding into one another. It's hard to tell what tools were used to create the effect - but it seems as though the application of paint was quite loose, the paper almost stained with color. Look how the pink of the horses and the pink of the flowers in the foreground are tonally matched. Then notice how the artist leaves a residue of graphite lines showing through the pastel, allowing the viewer to glimpse their working process. Take a look at the bottom right of the image, where the landscape dissolves into a band of horizontal marks that mimic the woven surface of textiles. It reminds me a little of Elizabeth Murray, or maybe even Tal R, both of whom find ways to bring cartoonish elements into serious painting. Ultimately, though, Angus is doing her own thing here, inviting us to wander through a historical fantasy that’s as much about mark-making as it is about storytelling.