Watercolor Design c. 1937

Albert Levone made this watercolor design on paper. It’s so cool to see this symmetrical array of birds and flowers emerge, kind of like a folk art Rorschach test. I love to imagine the artist moving between control and intuition. What was Albert thinking as they brushed these colors and shapes? The surface is thin, almost like a stain, and seems to create a soft, dreamy effect. The birds themselves are not quite realistic, are they? More like an idea of a bird. It's like Levone's showing us a world seen through their imagination. This piece reminds me of other self-taught artists who create their own visual language. They’re having a conversation with the medium of painting, but also with a whole history of pattern-making and design, transforming observation into invention. It’s a reminder that artists are always in dialogue, building on what came before and pushing into new territory.