Doll Cradle c. 1938

Therkel Anderson painted this doll cradle with watercolor. Just imagine him, carefully rendering each plane of wood with gentle strokes and layering colors with great care. I wonder if the artist was a carpenter or toy maker himself. The smooth honeyed tones suggest a love for craft and the tenderness of care; the gentle curves on the head and foot of the cradle evoke forms of folk art. I think of the soft light of a workshop and the artist finding inspiration in the material world around him. The doll cradle in paint becomes more than an object; it's an invitation to conjure stories of childhood, family, and tradition, much like other paintings I've seen and made myself. This isn't just a painting of a thing but a thing in itself.