Child's Shoe 1935 - 1942

Jean Peszel rendered this blue child's shoe with watercolor, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It's a simple subject but the painting is so attentive. It’s like Peszel is thinking, what does it mean to really *see* a shoe? The texture is incredible; the surface of the leather looks worn and creased. It’s a serious study of the world right under our noses. Look at how the buttons cast tiny shadows, each one a little world in itself! The blue is not just blue; it’s got shades of gray and brown, like she’s mixing all these hues to get at the real color of the shoe. This work reminds me of Édouard Manet, who looked with similar intensity at the objects of everyday life. Both artists encourage us to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.