Elephant c. 1936

This Elephant by Du Bois is a watercolor on paper. I love the muted palette, mostly grays and browns, with that surprising splash of red on the blanket. It's like the artist is letting the colors emerge, finding them rather than imposing them. It's a gentle process. Looking closely, you can see the transparency of the watercolor, how the white of the paper still shines through. It gives the whole piece a lightness, a kind of ethereal quality. And those little stitches! They're not trying to hide the seams; they're celebrating them. The texture of the paper adds another layer, doesn't it? There’s a similar whimsy in the work of Red Grooms. Both artists embrace a sense of playfulness, reminding us that art doesn't always need to be serious or grand; sometimes, it can just be a quiet, joyful observation of the world. It's this embrace of imperfection that makes the piece so endearing, inviting us to find beauty in the everyday.