Bandbox c. 1937

Joseph Rothenberg made this painting of a bandbox, date unknown, using, I imagine, gouache or maybe tempera, something matte and thin. I love the folk-art quality of this; it feels like a dreamscape of memory. The roosters give a nice domestic touch. I wonder what Rothenberg was thinking when he painted this? Was he trying to represent a specific object, or was he trying to evoke the feeling of folk art itself? The paint handling here is direct and unassuming. You can see the artist building up the forms with simple, flat shapes of color. It makes me think about the tradition of vernacular painting and how it offers an alternative way of seeing the world, one that is less concerned with illusionism and more interested in capturing the essence of things. Artists are always learning from one another, across time, inspiring one another's creativity. Painting can offer this space for a more embodied expression and open up different interpretations.