Pa. German Box c. 1941

Ethelbert Brown made this ‘Pa. German Box’ drawing with watercolor. I think it's so nice when someone takes an object and gives it a new life through art. I love how Brown uses watercolor in this piece - it's transparent, delicate, almost like he's breathing life into the box. The colors, muted and earthy, feel like they've been pulled straight from the soil. The way the semi-circles on top are made is not perfect, but it’s this element of imperfection that makes it feel so human. It's like Brown is whispering, "I was here, I saw this, and now you see it through me." Look at the curlicues on the side of the box. Each stroke is laid down with intention, but not so much intention that it becomes stiff. It reminds me of Arthur Dove and his watercolors - the same love of line and form, the same joy in the process of making. The beauty here is not just in what's depicted, but how it's depicted, celebrating ambiguity and leaving plenty of room for interpretation.