Cigar Store Figure c. 1938

Louis Plogsted made this painted figure of a cigar store man, we don't know exactly when, but judging by the get-up I'm guessing it was some time ago. Look at how Plogsted layers the colors – you can almost feel the texture of that velvet jacket and the gleam of the satin waistcoat. The way he builds up the forms with these soft, smudgy strokes gives the figure a real sense of presence, like he's about to step right off that little Pickwick pedestal. But it is just an image. And then there's the humor of it all – the slightly cartoonish proportions, the way the figure seems both dignified and a little absurd. It reminds me of some of Red Grooms's wacky, hand-painted sculptures, or maybe even some of Philip Guston's later, more figurative works. It’s like Plogsted knew that art doesn't always have to take itself so seriously. Sometimes, it can be just a bit of fun.