Figurehead 1935 - 1942

Elizabeth Moutal made this drawing of a 'Figurehead' sometime in the 20th century, though the exact date is unknown, using graphite and colored pencil on paper. There's something so great about drawings of sculptures, or in this case, architectural details: you get a real sense of the artist figuring out form, how light and shadow play. Look at the way Moutal captures the texture and depth of the carved wood. The color palette is muted, almost earthy, but then you've got these pops of red in the drapery. These elements shape our emotional experience of the artwork. I keep thinking about how a ship’s figurehead served as a symbolic guardian, and then I start to think about the decorative swirls at the base of the drawing, and they look like waves to me. It reminds me a bit of some of Marsden Hartley’s drawings, not just in subject matter, but in the way he uses line and shading to create volume. Anyway, art is one big conversation, isn’t it? Moutal’s work is all about seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world in new ways.