Man's Bolero c. 1936

This monochromatic watercolor, made by Syrena Swanson, depicts the front and back views of a bolero jacket. Look at the fine, consistent lines tracing the jacket's curves and edges, and looping into decorative motifs. I can see her hand moving slowly and methodically, building up the image piece by piece. Maybe she was thinking about the details a tailor would consider: the cut of the fabric, the placement of the embellishments. Each mark here is deliberate. I imagine her considering the weight of the material, its drape and fall, the way light might play across the surface. It’s like Swanson is in conversation with generations of artists, designers, and craftspeople. There is this exchange of ideas across time. It’s more than just documentation. It’s about Swanson’s own embodied experience of seeing, thinking, and feeling—ultimately allowing for multiple ways of seeing, and experiencing the world.