Mirror c. 1936

Fred Weiss made this drawing of a mirror sometime in the 20th century, we don't know exactly when, with what looks like watercolor. I am immediately drawn into that clouded glass; the loose diagonal strokes and the almost watery blue pigments mimic the reflective and ethereal qualities of a mirror. It's like Weiss is asking us, “what do you see when you look at it?" I wonder if the looseness of the brushstrokes was intentional. Was he interested in how mirrors distort and shift our perception of reality? It makes me think about other painters who toyed with reflections. It is difficult to tell when this was made because artists are constantly learning from and riffing off one another. When you make a painting, you’re not just making something new, you are also in conversation with all the artists who came before you. That’s what makes art so exciting, it’s never really done.