Shop Figure of Child c. 1937

This watercolour painting, 'Shop Figure of Child', was made by Beverly Chichester. I wonder about the act of painting and how a work comes into being. Looking at this work, I think about where the artist decided to start. I imagine Chichester carefully mixing the pale tones, coaxing the figure into existence with layers of delicate washes. There is a real intimacy in this work, particularly in the way she has captured the profile. I imagine Chichester's eye carefully following the line of the face, the soft curve of the cheek and brow, the delicate detail of the eyelashes. There is a sense of attentiveness to the sitter that gives the image a gentle and quiet emotional power. Painters like Chichester show how much can be conveyed in simple gestures. Painting is such an embodied form of expression, leaving space for ambiguity and for multiple readings. Artists are in constant conversation across time, inspiring one another.