Group of Hair Jewelry c. 1937

Sylvia Dezon made this whimsical study of hair jewelry with watercolor on paper sometime in the twentieth century. Look at that palette, those browns and golds! There’s a gentleness in these washes that suggests a delicate hand carefully applying each pigment, one layer at a time. I love to imagine the artist making these kinds of studies. Were they made for a patron or friend, or simply for the joy of capturing the beauty of these precious objects? The almost scientific rendering of each hair accessory makes me think that the artist wanted to understand their forms through observation. It's so satisfying to see the material qualities of each object so carefully rendered. You know, painting has always been a way for artists to engage in conversations across generations, and to find inspiration in the everyday. And in this vein, Dezon's work reminds me of a quote by Fairfield Porter who said that painters must learn to "value personality more than skill." The way that Dezon has depicted these accessories feels deeply personal and intimate. It’s as if she invites us to share in her world through these detailed observations.