Shackles or Leg Irons c. 1937

Gladys C. Parker made this watercolor drawing of Shackles or Leg Irons on paper, and it's interesting how she's using a relatively gentle medium to depict something so brutal. Look at the colors, a soft, almost rusted palette, and the subtle gradations in tone that give the metal its weight and form. You can tell she was really looking. There’s a kind of intimacy in the way she renders the texture of the iron, a deep focus on the object's physicality. I am particularly drawn to the chain links and the way each one is lovingly rendered with subtle highlights and shadows. It’s almost seductive. It makes you think about the history of drawing as a tool for documentation, but also about the power of art to transform even the most oppressive objects into things of beauty, or at least contemplation. Think of Charles Demuth, who also took vernacular American architectural and industrial forms as subject matter, imbuing them with a subtle beauty. Ultimately, art isn't about answers, it’s about opening up a space for questioning and seeing the world anew.