Wedding Bonnet c. 1936

Nancy Crimi made this watercolor and graphite ‘Wedding Bonnet’ on paper, sometime in the 20th century, but the whole thing feels like it's been soaked in the past. Crimi's hand is so delicate and precise. Look at those ribbon frills and the tiny graphite lines of the silk! It's not just about representation, it’s about touch. Notice how the pale washes give the bonnet a ghostly presence, almost as if it’s a memory or an heirloom passed down through generations. Then there are the little sketches to the right of the main bonnet, like afterthoughts or maybe a plan for another drawing; an attempt to capture its essence from every angle. It puts me in mind of the drawings of Florine Stettheimer, who also had a way of making the ordinary extraordinary through touch. What Crimi gives us here is a feeling, more than a depiction, and that's what makes it sing.