Marionette - "Ahab" c. 1938

This is Elmer Weise’s Marionette "Ahab," and it is such a brilliant character study. Look at the watercolor washes, how they blend and bleed into the paper, giving a translucent quality. I can imagine Elmer bent over this work, carefully applying each layer, coaxing the character of Ahab to life. There’s a playful theatricality to this piece, a sense of Ahab performing his own tragedy. The red and blue in the face, the black and white beard, give the puppet’s face an intensity and manic energy. Weise manages to capture the essence of Ahab’s obsession. And that gaze is scary! It reminds me a little of Munch. He has that similar psychological intensity. Weise channels Ahab's inner turmoil with such vibrant colors and precise lines, doesn't he?