Chintz c. 1936

Erwin Stenzel, a late bloomer if ever there was one, created this watercolor and graphite study of Chintz at some point in his very long life. What strikes me is how Stenzel revels in the process. Look closely, and you'll see that the paint application isn't about hiding the hand but celebrating it. The textures, oh, they're everything! That stippled ground, that almost frothy, speckled field behind the larger flower band. The botanical forms aren't trying to fool you into thinking they're real; they exist as beautiful shapes, almost like characters in a play. My eye keeps getting drawn to one particular leaf, the way it's been built up in layers of muted green, with hints of the cream ground peeking through. It's a masterclass in suggestion, really. Thinking about other artists who flirt with pattern and decoration like this, I’m reminded of someone like Etel Adnan, who, like Stenzel, celebrated the joy of color and form late into her life. Art, after all, is an ongoing chat.