Punch's Sweatheart c. 1938

Elmer Weise created Punch's Sweatheart with watercolor and graphite, giving us a figure that's both doll-like and deeply human. I can almost feel Weise sketching out the initial lines, maybe adjusting the tilt of her head or the set of her shoulders, trying to get just the right amount of sass. I wonder, what's she thinking? Is she about to deliver a witty retort, or is she just taking a moment to size up the room? Look at the pattern on her dress—it's like a garden in full bloom, even though the colors are more subdued, almost melancholic. And those touches of red on her cheeks and lips, suggesting an inner fire. Weise, with his deft handling of color and line, manages to capture a sense of inner life. It's a reminder that painting is a way of seeing and feeling, and that artists, like Weise, offer us new ways to experience the world. This heartfelt exchange reminds me of other figural painters such as Alice Neel. It's all one big conversation, isn't it?