Cigar Store Indian c. 1941

Sydney Roberts made this small watercolor of a Cigar Store Indian, but we don’t know when. The artist’s mark-making has a kind of naive, almost hesitant, quality, particularly in the figure’s face, and the feathers that crown the subject. It reminds me of outsider art, or folk art, and the way artists working outside traditional fine art contexts often use materials with a kind of directness. There's something really interesting about the way Roberts uses thin washes of watercolor to build up the form of the figure, especially in the contrast between the smooth planes of the clothing and the more textured rendering of the skin. Look closely at the shadows around the figure's eyes and cheekbones - it gives a really interesting sense of depth. It makes me think of Bill Traylor, another artist who, like Roberts, worked outside the mainstream art world and created work with a unique and powerful vision. Ultimately, this piece, like all art, invites us to bring our own experiences and perspectives to it.