Cigar Store Indian c. 1941

This watercolor on paper shows a cigar store Indian painted by Harry King. He’s depicted in red and brown hues, standing on a little wheeled platform. It makes me think about the act of painting itself, of color spreading and solidifying into form through King’s attention. I feel for the guy, you know? The Native American figure seems kind of trapped on his plinth, like the wheels are a sad joke. But, hey, King immortalized him, right? The wooden sculpture transformed into a flat image, now able to move on paper, somehow free from his role of advertising tobacco. The pose he’s stuck in is a classic, and I wonder what King was thinking when he painted it. Maybe something about art’s role to re-invent these tired symbols? He’s not alone in this pursuit. Lots of painters explore how we can see, think, and experience the world in different ways. We’re all just trying to keep the conversation going, pushing each other to see things anew.