Cast Iron Dobbie c. 1936

Rex F. Bush, who lived a long life from 1855 to 1995, made this untitled painting of a 'Cast Iron Dobbie', but when I look at it, I see more than just an object. I think about the choices Rex made. The cool blues of the pants against the warm yellows of the jacket. It makes me wonder what he was thinking. Was he trying to capture a sense of nostalgia, of a time gone by? The brushstrokes are smooth, almost careful, which gives the figure a kind of solid presence. There’s something both playful and serious in the way he’s depicted this figure, standing there with his hand on his hip, like he’s about to start dancing. What's that ring he holds? Painters are always in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other’s ideas. And in this simple, almost folk-art-like painting, I feel a connection to all those artists who came before, trying to make sense of the world, one brushstroke at a time. Isn’t that what it’s all about?