Doll c. 1939

This is Henry Tomaszewski’s Doll, made in watercolor and graphite. It is a study of a wooden doll—the color of milky coffee with a tinge of rose. I’m thinking about Tomaszewski at his drafting table…did he want to capture its shape in the abstract, or just record what it looked like? There’s a stillness in the doll, even as it is bursting with form. The doll's braids are thick ropes of wood, cascading down her back. And its dress flares out like a bell—a simple, carved shape, but so full of personality. The doll is so quiet and contained—a little world unto herself. I can see folk art here, which in turn reminds me of Guston's late work; his hooded figures. When Tomaszewski made this, he was working in a spirit of inquiry. What can painting tell us about how we look? I see the way one artist looks at another, and I know painting is still alive.