Tea Store Figure c. 1937

Chris Makrenos made this “Tea Store Figure” using… well, we don’t know for sure, but it looks like pencil and watercolor. The colors are muted, ochre, with a few pops of red and green, and the whole thing feels very gentle. What I love about this piece is the way it makes you feel like you’re seeing something real, but also something imagined. The way the figure is rendered makes him feel almost like a statue, but the details – the little red shoes, the beads, the way the light catches the folds of his robe – make him feel alive. Look at the cube he holds – a golden block! The artist's touch is so delicate here. It reminds me a bit of some of the folk art I've seen – that same sense of wonder and simplicity. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful. It's more like a conversation, a sharing of ideas. And in that sense, art is always open to interpretation.