Painted Wooden Crucifix c. 1939

Majel G. Claflin made this painted wooden crucifix sometime before 1941, and what strikes me is how immediate the piece feels, like you are right there with the artist while they are experimenting with the relationship between colour and texture. The colors are earthy, raw, and muted. There's a roughness to the surface, a kind of tactile honesty. You can almost feel the grain of the wood beneath the paint, the way the artist has allowed the material to speak. I love the deliberate drips of red paint across the figure's torso. They seem so nonchalant and casual, like a painter's way of reminding us that this is not just a symbol but a physical object made of earthly materials. It feels like she's in conversation with folk art traditions, but her own voice is loud and clear. It's a reminder that art is always a dialogue, a messy, beautiful conversation across time.