Ribbon 1940

Marie Lutrell made this purple ‘Ribbon’ sometime in the 20th Century. It looks like it was created with watercolor and graphite. I can imagine Lutrell in her studio, maybe she was thinking about the color purple, the colour of royalty, and was experimenting with textures. The graphite detail gives the ribbon a unique texture. The floral decorations make it seem so decorative. Did she make it for fun, or was this piece a study? It feels almost like a fragment, doesn’t it? Like a piece of something larger, waiting to be discovered. It’s intriguing because it doesn’t give you everything at once; instead, it invites you to fill in the blanks, to imagine its history and purpose. Painters talk to one another across time, and Luttrell is a part of this dialogue. Each piece is an invitation, encouraging us to engage with ambiguity and find our own meanings.