Cigar Store Indian 1941

Sydney Roberts painted this "Cigar Store Indian" in watercolor, and right away I can see that it is the product of observation, a direct, first-hand kind of looking at the world. The palette is muted—earthy browns, grays and creams—all carefully mixed. The paint is handled in such a way to emphasize the form, with thin washes giving way to thicker, more concentrated applications of pigment. I can imagine Roberts, maybe squinting, really taking their time with it, trying to capture not just the look but the feel of the object. The care that went into rendering the base of the statue, with its slightly mottled texture, is really lovely. There is a lot of history in a painting like this—a quiet, intimate, and focused moment. Painters today continue to be inspired by the history that comes before them. Painting is like that, an exchange of energy and ideas, a dialogue between one artist and another.