Dress 1935 - 1942

Edna C. Rex made this drawing of a dress, sometime during her long life with what looks like watercolor on paper. I love the way she’s built up the yellows and greens. She really understands the idea of artmaking as a process, something she can come back to again and again. Take a look at the way the color is applied in thin washes, especially in the skirt. See how the brushstrokes follow the implied form of the fabric? This gives the dress a sense of volume and movement, even though it’s just lines on paper. The texture is smooth but not too controlled, there’s an element of chance. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s work, where repetition and subtle variations create a kind of meditative space. But here, instead of abstract grids, we have a dress, full of potential and the promise of warm summer days. It’s a simple image, but it resonates with a quiet, understated beauty.