Girl's Dress c. 1937

This watercolour of a girl's dress was created by Verna Tallman, though we don't know exactly when. The image is created with pale washes of colour and the application feels delicate, like a memory. There's a dreamy quality to the dress, evoked through a network of softly applied marks. Up close, you can see the translucent quality of the watercolour paint and how it gently pools on the paper. The dress itself seems to float in the liminal space of the blank paper. The tiny flowers scattered across the fabric are rendered with minimal detail, adding to the impression of fleetingness. The whole piece evokes a tenderness that I find incredibly moving. Tallman's approach shares some affinity with artists like Agnes Martin, who also used subtle gestures to create a sense of quiet contemplation. I like to think of art as an ongoing dialogue, where artists build upon each other's ideas across time. Ultimately, it's up to each of us to bring our own experiences and perspectives to the viewing process and to allow for multiple readings.