Cigar Store Indian c. 1937

Charles Bowman created "Cigar Store Indian" with watercolor and graphite on paper. Look closely, and you’ll see it’s a painting *of* a sculpture, not a painting *on* a sculpture. And with what care he picks out all the details! The colors are muted and earthy, which gives it a nostalgic feel. Bowman’s technique is almost invisible. Everything’s very controlled, which obscures the process. You can see the wood grain in the sculpture, and it’s like he wants us to really feel the texture of the original object. There’s a stillness to this image. It reminds me of some of the American realist painters like Edward Hopper, or even the magical realism of someone like Philip Guston, who also depicted objects in isolation. It speaks to the quiet stories objects can tell. It's a simple image, rendered with great care.