Cigar Store Indian c. 1936

This watercolor of a Cigar Store Indian was made by Walter Hochstrasser. The artist is dealing with ideas of representation and form. It's a study in color, too, with the Indian’s clothing in a blend of greens, reds and golds. The artist doesn’t shy away from the object quality of the materials, either. The paint is applied in layers which gives it that rougher texture. It’s like you can see him building up the statue through color. The brushstrokes on the wood of the plinth, they’re like an abstract painting, the way the artist coaxes the colors out from the ground. It reminds me a bit of Guston's later paintings, but softer, more delicate. Ultimately, this watercolor is about how we see things – and how one way of seeing can open up entirely new ways of thinking.