Cigar Store Indian c. 1936

Editor: So here we have "Cigar Store Indian," created around 1936 by Emile Cero, rendered in watercolor. I am struck by its peculiar orientalist style that gives this Native American figure almost ancient Greek or Roman overtones. What exactly are we seeing when we look at this work? Curator: It’s strange, isn't it? A layering of identities. Look at the way Cero plays with the colonial gaze, taking an already appropriated image—the cigar store Indian—and then dressing it up in, as you say, classical garb. It's like a fever dream of cultural misunderstandings! Don't you wonder if there’s a satirical undercurrent, maybe a commentary on the commodification of identity? Editor: I see what you mean! The artist might be drawing attention to this weird melting pot of stereotypes rather than endorsing it. Do you think that makes the work progressive for its time? Curator: Progressive? Perhaps too strong a word. More like... a glitch in the matrix. The work exists in a strange in-between space. Consider, too, the watercolor medium itself, soft and easily manipulated, reinforcing this sense of a mutable, fluid identity, slipping and sliding out of grasp. It makes me question who has the right to represent whom. Editor: I guess art can raise uncomfortable questions that can inspire debate. Curator: Exactly. It doesn’t offer easy answers, which is precisely its power. Ultimately, “Cigar Store Indian” lingers in your thoughts, prompting questions about appropriation, representation, and the blurry lines of cultural identity. The purpose of art sometimes, perhaps, is to trouble you a bit, like an unsettling dream refusing to fade. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about – thanks!