Slipper 1935 - 1942

Nancy Crimi made this drawing, called Slipper, with graphite and watercolor on paper. I love the subtlety of it. The rendering is so delicate, the barest whisper of pigment and line. Look at the bottom slipper, how it sits squarely on the page, anchored by the shadow of a warm brown line. Notice too the way that line appears to separate the slipper from the ground, it's like Crimi is asking us to imagine the slipper as if it were levitating off the page. Then compare that to the slippers above, which exist only as skeletal line drawings. There is a playful tension here between reality and fantasy. This reminds me of the work of Luchita Hurtado who also found inspiration in the everyday world, using a limited palette to describe monumental forms. It's beautiful how art can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, inviting us to see the world with new eyes.