Figurehead c. 1936

Ingrid Selmer-Larsen made this watercolor painting, titled Figurehead, on paper. It depicts a carved, wooden sculpture traditionally found on the prows of sailing ships. The appeal of this image lies in the way Selmer-Larsen has captured the texture of the original carved object. You can almost feel the rough grain of the wood, the way the surface catches the light. In its original context, a figurehead was carved by a skilled artisan, a ship’s carpenter perhaps, who had to understand both the properties of the material, and also the nautical environment it would have to withstand. The carving would also have been brightly painted, and the artist has captured these in her composition. Selmer-Larsen encourages us to consider not just the image, but the history of labor and skill that it represents. She asks us to consider the full meaning of the artwork, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.