Waistcoat c. 1937

Melita Hofmann made this ‘Waistcoat’ with watercolour and graphite on paper, so you already know she was interested in the fine detail. Just imagine her at work, those tiny strokes building up into a textured surface. It's like she's trying to capture not just the look of the fabric, but its feel. I can imagine Hofmann thinking about all those intricate weaves, the way light catches on the surface, and how the colours shift depending on the light. The red lining against the patterned weave really pops, doesn't it? Thinking about my own process, I sometimes feel like I'm building up layers of experience, trying to get at something essential through all that detail. Hofmann must have felt something similar, patiently building up this image, one stroke at a time. That’s what painting is, though, isn't it? A conversation across time, where we pick up on each other's ideas and keep the dialogue going.