Bandbox c. 1938

Joseph Rothenberg made this watercolor of a bandbox, and what’s so fascinating is that it’s a painting of a thing, not a painting in itself. I can only imagine what it was like for Rothenberg to try and capture the imagery, the light blue background and the leaping deer, which circle this container. There's something really charming about how folksy the deer are. It makes me think of a kid's book. I see the deer leaping, and the leafy trees, and then I start wondering what went into this box? When I think about the original maker of the bandbox and Rothenberg painting it, I wonder whether they saw the world in similar ways? I wonder if both saw the world with a similar sense of joy and whimsy? I imagine artists, across time, looking at one another’s work and feeling that spark of connection. We are always building on what came before, and this image holds so much.