Jester c. 1938

Elmer Weise made this, Jester, an 18 x 12 inch watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink drawing, probably in the middle of the 20th century. I can imagine Weise experimenting and shifting the planes of the Jester's face with graphite lines—it's like he's trying to capture every nuance of the Jester's expression. I sympathize with Weise and wonder if he was perhaps thinking of his own role as an artist while making it. I mean, artists are kind of like Jesters, right? They perform, entertain, and sometimes hold up a mirror to society. The Jester's muted green costume with its rose-colored ruffles evokes the past and makes you think of old plays. Weise signed it right there at the bottom, as though to say, "I was here, I made this." That kind of gesture always gets me. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, I’m part of this big conversation about art, too."