Cigar Store Indian c. 1936

This watercolor by Walter Hochstrasser presents a Cigar Store Indian, rendered with a fascinating blend of precision and playful imperfection. I love the colour palette; earth tones with a splash of red and green, it's like looking at a carefully aged photograph. Up close, you can almost feel the texture of the wood he's depicting. Hochstrasser's brushwork really highlights the carved details and the way he's used thin layers of transparent paint to build up the colours creates a luminous effect, as if the figure has its own light source. The way the red cloak drapes over his shoulder, and the green skirt has such gentle folds, it's lovely. Hochstrasser's work reminds me a little of Florine Stettheimer, who also had a way of combining social commentary with this sort of theatrical flair. Ultimately, this piece celebrates the power of representation and how it can embody the ongoing conversation across time.