Figurehead: "Emma" c. 1938

Molly Bodenstein made this watercolor drawing, Figurehead: "Emma", sometime in the mid-20th century, and what gets me right away is her layering of washes and colors to create soft, blended tones. It's a dance of hues, like watching colors flirt on the page. Looking closer, I’m drawn to the way Bodenstein captures the texture of the wooden figure. You can almost feel the grain. It's there in the way she renders the crack running down from Emma's throat, like a story etched into her very being. The rose at her chest is painted so delicately, while the rest of the figure is more rigid, so there is an interesting tension between the organic and the constructed. I think of Florine Stettheimer and her portraits of New York society. Bodenstein, like Stettheimer, brings a unique perspective to her subjects, offering us a glimpse into their world through her singular artistic vision. What does “Emma” see, up there on the ship? As artists, we’re all figureheads, navigating the waves of inspiration, and hoping our vision points true.