Studies of a Child and Two Women 

Editor: This watercolor, "Studies of a Child and Two Women" by Edward Thompson Davis, feels so light and airy. The composition, with its unfinished sketch on the left, gives it an intimate, almost private quality. What do you see in the way the artist has handled the medium? Curator: Note how Davis deploys the fluidity of watercolor to delineate form, especially in the drapery. Observe how the layering and dilution of pigment model depth and texture. The juxtaposition of the complete and incomplete figures provides a unique tension. Editor: That's fascinating. It's as if the incompleteness draws attention to the finished details. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It’s a study in contrasts, leading us to question the very nature of completion in art.