Printed Chintz c. 1939

Hubbell McBride painted this artwork, "Printed Chintz," most likely with watercolors or gouache. The way the colors are layered and blended tells me that the artist was really in the zone, letting the painting guide them. The horses, framed by these almost cartoon-like flowers, are rendered with such care. Notice the texture of the horse in the background, made up of tiny dots, almost like it’s been printed. The surface is smooth, the colors muted, but the overall effect is super dynamic. It’s like McBride is playing with surface and depth, real and unreal, all at the same time. For me, this work is in conversation with pattern paintings by artists like Miriam Schapiro, who celebrated decorative and craft traditions by combining them with fine art techniques. Like Schapiro, McBride shows us that art doesn’t have to be one thing or another. It can be both decorative and profound, realistic and totally out there.