Panel from Hall Lantern c. 1936

Blanche Waterbury's 'Panel from Hall Lantern' is an understated, pale wash of watercolor and pencil on paper. Look closely, and you can see how the form of the diamond patterned window emerges, built up through careful layering of color. I imagine her thinking about how light refracts through the glass, trying to capture that glow with pencil and brush. What does this tell us about how she sees the world? The thinness of the pigment allows for a layered surface. Her delicate touch reminds me of Agnes Martin, whose minimal paintings explore similar ideas of light, space, and perception. It's this kind of quiet conversation between artists, across time and space, that keeps painting alive and relevant. Each artist responding to and building upon what came before, expanding our understanding of what painting can be.