Silk Gown 1936

Maude Schell’s ‘Silk Gown’, made with pencil and watercolor, presents an almost ghostly gown, rendered in soft pinks and gentle greys. I like to imagine her, a child, carefully choosing her colors, dipping her brush in water, and coaxing the pigment across the page, line by line. It’s a double image, an echo: to the right, a fainter vision, a spectral twin of the primary dress. Maybe she was working something out, considering the dress from different angles, or how it might appear in motion. Look at the way the pinks bloom on the sleeves and skirt, each dab and stroke a delicate decision. The fabric seems almost alive with tiny roses, each one a whispered secret. I get the sense of the artist really relishing the process, the simple pleasure of making marks, lost in the folds and frills of her creation, like so many other artists finding their own way to conjure a world into being.