Weather Vane c. 1940

Selma Sandler made this rendering of a Weather Vane. It's hard to know when, but it looks like she used watercolor and graphite. The weathering effect on the horse’s body has such an appealing surface quality. It's beautiful the way Sandler has shown the paint flecking off, revealing the wood underneath. I think this is more than just representation, it's about how paintings age, and the strange beauty in that process. It's the art of the imperfect that I admire so much in other artists, and which I try to put in my own work. Look at the feathery graphite marks in the horse's tail and legs, giving the body definition. If you compare Sandler's work to a piece by someone like Bill Traylor, you will see a similar, almost childlike understanding of form and composition. Both artists had an amazing ability to represent the world around them with such economy. There's a real conversation going on there.