Mending Socks 1924

This painting, Mending Socks, was made with oil on canvas by Archibald Motley. It's a very quiet, domestic scene, and that stillness is reinforced by the colour palette – muted browns and greys, punctuated by a bright red shawl. Look closely, and you see the brushwork is quite delicate and deliberate, building up layers of thin glazes and translucent shadows, and there's a kind of reverence to the way Motley has rendered the everyday objects around the woman – a bowl of fruit, a glass of water, a crucifix on the wall. They feel symbolic of both abundance and sacrifice. The textures are so palpable, and I find myself focusing on the woman's hands, slightly roughened and darkened by age and work. Motley shows her pausing, perhaps reflecting. It's a work of quiet dignity and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Like in the work of Alice Neel, there is an empathetic humanity that shines through. It's a very human portrait, full of grace.