Gope Board c. 20th century

This Gope Board was made anonymously at some unknown date with wood and pigment. It feels old, right? There’s a central vertical axis and a defined symmetry, a kind of face, but the artist allowed for some improvisations, or maybe just wasn’t that worried about perfection. That dark brown color at the top is so interesting. It's almost like a thought bubble above the figure’s head, but it's also contained by the shape of the board itself. I love the texture. It is so obviously carved. There’s no attempt to hide the artist’s hand. The carving is shallow, and the lines are rounded, but you can still see the marks of the tool. The lines almost look like little commas, pulling and pushing your eye along the surface. It reminds me a little bit of some work by Forrest Bess. This piece reminds me that art is a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It’s all about making and discovery, without worrying too much about the rules.