Doll - "Lilla Rosella Hatch" 1935 - 1942

Curator: Look at this lovely artwork, Editor. It's a portrait titled "Doll - 'Lilla Rosella Hatch,'" created by Hal Blakeley sometime between 1935 and 1942. The piece is a delightful blend of watercolor and coloured pencil. Editor: Oh, my. She feels…contained. Almost like a porcelain figurine trapped in a drawing. The frills are a little much, but those wide, almost vacant eyes hold a strange kind of beauty, don't they? Curator: It's interesting how Blakeley combines those media. Watercolor provides that delicate wash for the face and clothing, but the colored pencil defines the details, adding texture to the bonnet and jacket. Considering the social context of doll making during that era, one ponders about mass production. Editor: Exactly! Is it an homage or critique? I am also thinking of costume design. Look at the dramatic sleeve and shape of the dress! One can sense a longing to escape the traditional roles defined by that folk costume. There is something about the way she holds her dress, isn't it odd? Like the edge of something old that is dragging her down? Curator: Her costume, so rich with historical and cultural significance, could certainly be interpreted in such ways. Note the handwork though; I would venture the clothing might tell us something about the labor, time and processes that have been consumed into its crafting and care. It could just as well reference the value in handmade items versus mass manufactured ones...a common sentiment during those inter-war years. Editor: Mmm, the colors are definitely doing something, too. Muted tones contrasting with a brighter face, making me think she wants to leap off the page into technicolor. I get this whimsical vibe, but there's also a subtle yearning, a wish to just tear out the seams that keep her in one shape, as defined by the medium of art! It makes me want to go wild. Curator: It's an excellent example of folk art sensibilities intersecting with portraiture, definitely giving it an interesting social commentary. The very production and artistry here suggest a lot more about culture. Editor: Yes, absolutely! It makes the viewer examine the very fine line that art occupies; the boundary of expression, design, tradition, desire, form, function... Wonderful work, isn't it?