Toy Bank: Figure with Mule c. 1937

Chris Makrenos made this painting of a ‘Toy Bank: Figure with Mule’ on paper, but the date is unknown. The ochre and burnt sienna tones give a sense of warmth and nostalgia to the piece, don't they? It’s got this real homemade feel to it, like a Sunday painter having a crack at their favourite toy. The toy itself looks like it has been cast from solid metal. It’s a funny old thing, a bit grotesque, and probably quite fun to play with. See the way the artist hasn’t laboured over the surface? It’s all a bit slap-dash, loose, and that’s what I like about it. The underpainting is visible in places, and the colours are laid down in simple blocks. The red base of the toy is outlined in black, with thin white lines to suggest highlights. It almost looks like a woodcut. The shadows under the mule’s belly are smudged and smeared. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper. It reminds me a little of Milton Avery’s simplified forms and muted palette. This piece embraces ambiguity and multiple interpretations over fixed meanings, so let your imagination run wild.