Shaker Bonnet c. 1936

Elizabeth Moutal made this drawing of a Shaker Bonnet sometime in the 20th century, using what looks like watercolor or gouache on paper. I love how the soft browns and tans give a quiet weight to the bonnet. Imagine Moutal, carefully layering each wash, building up the form with subtle shifts in tone. The bonnet emerges, a testament to simple living and a practical way of life. You can see this in the light pencil sketch alongside the bonnet. I wonder what Moutal was thinking as she painted. Was she drawn to the bonnet's simplicity, its connection to history? Maybe she saw in its form a kind of quiet strength, a resilience reflected in the lives of the women who wore it. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's quiet geometries. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time, finding inspiration in unexpected places. Painting becomes this embodied expression, a way to embrace ambiguity and invite multiple readings.