Decorative Panels c. 1936

Wellington Blewett made these ‘Decorative Panels’ with some kind of paint, probably watercolor or gouache. The bands of tan and amber give the illusion of wood grain, and it’s quite convincing, don't you think? Looking closely, the paint is thinly applied, in delicate layers, so that the surface almost disappears. The darker red and green leaves are carefully outlined and rendered, and the line is confident, almost like a print. It’s interesting that this is not an image of a scene but a design for some architectural feature, like a frieze. I am reminded of the graphic work of someone like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who used natural motifs such as flowers or leaves to create stylized designs for textiles and furniture. There is a way in which the formal composition of this piece is so satisfying, yet it remains strangely anonymous. So many questions remain unanswered, leaving the viewer to linger on the shapes and colors themselves.