Handkerchief 1935 - 1942

George Constantine made this drawing of a Handkerchief, we don't know exactly when, but he used watercolor on paper. I love the obsessive nature of this piece, the way he renders a simple object with such care and attention. Look at the way the colors blend, thin washes of brown and blue creating a subtle texture. The lines aren't perfectly straight, there's a handmade quality to them, a slight wobble that gives the handkerchief a sense of life. The whole thing feels kind of wabi-sabi to me, this celebration of imperfection. I mean, it's just a handkerchief, but Constantine has turned it into something beautiful and meditative. It reminds me a little bit of some of Agnes Martin's grids, though maybe a bit less formal, more home-spun. Both artists are finding something spiritual in the everyday. It’s a reminder that art can be found anywhere, in the most unexpected places.