Gope Board c. 20th century

This anonymous Gope Board is an old wooden thing, carved and painted. It's giving me major process vibes—you know, a kind of trial and error. I can imagine the artist making one mark, then another, the image emerging bit by bit. Look closely, and you'll see these faces with bird-like features. I'm getting a sense of protection. I can almost feel the hand of the artist, carving and then coloring this thing. The paint is thin, scrubbed in, and the surface has a beautiful, uneven texture. The brown and white tones create a sense of earthiness, grounding it in the material. Think about the ongoing conversation between artists across time and space. This piece, in its raw and kind of awkward beauty, reminds us that art doesn't always have to be perfect. Sometimes, it's the imperfections that make it so damn good. It's a beautiful example of embodied expression.