Wooden Doll c. 1936

Jane Iverson made this small painting of a Wooden Doll, and I can just imagine her, brush in hand, circling the subject. The doll sits, rendered in a palette of browns and blues, with little floral bursts across the surface. I can see the build-up of paint in the doll’s simple dress. Maybe Iverson applied thin washes, letting each layer dry before adding another, deepening the colors and shadows. I wonder if she was thinking about folk art or maybe the portraits of everyday objects by artists like Fairfield Porter. There’s something so humble and earnest about the painting. Look at how the blues are dabbed on, each mark a little world in itself. It’s like Iverson is not just painting a doll, but also creating a whole mood. These aren't fixed gestures but tentative, searching marks, open to change and chance. It makes me think about the conversation between artists across time, each building on the ideas of those who came before, and how painting is an ongoing form of expression and inquiry.