Figurehead 1935 - 1942

Flora Merchant made this drawing titled Figurehead using watercolor and graphite. Look at the way the light falls across the figure! I can almost see Flora’s hand moving across the paper, guided by the swells and dips of the form. There’s a gentleness to the hatching that reminds me of Agnes Martin, but the subject matter is a world apart. I imagine Flora, poised, peering intently as she works, trying to capture the spirit of this unknown sculpture. What was she thinking as she laid down each line? The sepia tones of her drawing bring to mind dusty archives, echoing with the stories of those who came before us. Painting feels like an act of reaching across time. We can look at this drawing and imagine Flora looking at the sculpture, and then look at each other, thinking about the people and art we love.