Dogs for Sail 1940

Clementine Hunter probably painted this scene, "Dogs for Sail," with simple, available paints, maybe house paint, and a brush that was probably equally humble. The whole thing is charming, right? I imagine her setting up the scene, maybe remembering it from her life, then blocking in the shapes with big swaths of color – that blue is so blue! Look at how the dogs are all on slightly different planes, like a cubist painting. The dogs are these great little blobs of personality, each one unique. I bet Hunter wasn't trying to be 'correct,' but, like, how could you be when you’re painting from memory and feeling? There’s a connection to painters like Horace Pippin here, who also just went for it, painting what they knew, how they saw it. It makes me wonder, what if all paintings were this direct, this honest?