Don’t be afraid, boys 1921

Margaret Evans Price made this image, called “Don’t be afraid, boys”, with what looks like watercolor or gouache. There's a simplicity to the mark making, and the colours are muted, like a memory or a dream. The paper feels almost like it's breathing. Up close, you can see thin washes and subtle textures. It’s interesting how she uses those colours to create depth, like in the boy's bare feet, or the leaves on the forest floor. It’s not so much about realism as it is about creating a feeling, of childhood innocence and perhaps a hint of trepidation. Look at the boy who is crying, his small shoulders are hunched and the detail in the folds of his robe, that sadness really resonates, doesn't it? This makes me think of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also had a knack for capturing the essence of childhood with such tenderness. In both artists there is a kind of openness, embracing the unfinished, the unsaid.