Toy Bank c. 1938

Chris Makrenos made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a toy bank sometime in the twentieth century. I can imagine Makrenos, with his pencils and paints, carefully rendering this object, trying to capture the unique features of each of the baseball players. The drawing depicts an object and a scene, all in one. There's a figure swinging, one crouching, one ready to catch. What a playful moment! I can imagine Makrenos, contemplating the colors, capturing the way the light hits each plane of the object. The different tones of red and yellow make this a joyful work. It reminds me of other object drawings, like those by the American Precisionists, but with more color and charm. It's funny how a drawing of a toy bank can make you think about the nature of representation and the joy of capturing a moment in time.