Woman's Shoes c. 1939

Marie Alain created this watercolor painting of a pair of woman's shoes with delicate patterns. What a fun thing to paint! The off-white background makes the slippers appear as if they are floating in space. It makes me think about what the artist was like and what she was thinking when she made it. Was she interested in fashion? Was she thinking about the people who wore these shoes? What kind of life did they have? I wonder if she noticed the almost animalistic quality of the shoe's heels. The slippers are delicately rendered with small brushstrokes to build up the forms and shadows. I like the small details and the way that the artist captured the softness of the fabric, reminding me of Vuillard, who was also interested in capturing intimate interior scenes with a similar color palette. It’s like all artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another's creativity.