Insignia Letter "S" c. 1939

Katharine Merrill made this drawing of an Insignia Letter "S" with what looks like watercolor and pencil, but when? There's something so tender about this rendering of a weathered, wooden letter "S." The pink underpainting peeks through the gray, mimicking the way time and the elements reveal layers of history. It’s like Merrill is gently coaxing out the essence of this object. I love how the textures are rendered, the subtle grain of the wood, the flaking paint. Merrill’s process feels like a form of preservation, not just of the object itself, but of a certain kind of American vernacular. The piece embraces its imperfection, almost like a folk art version of Pop Art. You can almost imagine Jasper Johns taking a liking to it. Art is about this kind of dialogue, isn't it? Merrill’s drawing isn’t just a depiction, it’s a quiet conversation across time, about value, about beauty, about what we choose to notice.