The Seamstress 1946

Jacob Lawrence made “The Seamstress” using gouache, and you can tell he’s thinking about painting as a process. It’s like he's building up the image, layer by layer. The colors are so vibrant and alive, and the way he’s laid down the paint is so direct. Look at the red fabric, how the pattern seems to vibrate, like the whole scene is buzzing with energy. There’s something so satisfying about the simplicity of the shapes, but at the same time, there’s a real depth and complexity to the composition. Notice the shadow under the seamstress's hands, they are so full of character; it is as if they are telling you a story all of their own. Lawrence reminds me of Stuart Davis; that same bold use of color and simplified shapes. It’s a real conversation across time, an exploration of what it means to represent the world around us in paint. Ultimately, there’s no one "right" way to see this painting; it’s open to interpretation, and that’s what makes it so exciting.