Doll - "Rose Bates" 1935 - 1942

Josephine Romano made this doll called "Rose Bates" in watercolor. The way she's worked the colors and textures it feels so process-oriented, like the painting itself is a kind of making or dressing-up game. Look at the coat, it’s gray but it looks like it’s almost woven, each mark building up to create this tweed like surface that both describes the material of the coat itself but also the emotional feeling of the material. The blue trim is such a solid contrast. The pinks, peach and lavender of the dress and sash give a softer, delicate feel to the whole thing. And it’s all done with watercolor, which is so different than oil - it’s about layering and letting the white of the paper be part of the color, which makes it feel like it’s glowing from within. There’s something about the way she renders the doll's face that reminds me of outsider art, like maybe a connection to the work of Bill Traylor. They both have this straightforward way of capturing figures and emotions that’s raw and really affecting. It’s a great reminder that art is always about an exchange of ideas, a conversation across time and different ways of seeing.