Pa. German Box c. 1941

Ethelbert Brown made this Pa. German Box at an unknown date with what appears to be watercolor. The box emerges from the paper, a set of rainbows and decorative borders. It's as if the artist is building it up color by color, detail by detail. I can imagine him, focused, slowly and painstakingly rendering the most minute decorations. Do the flowers mean something? Are they a message? The colors are earthy, but the shapes are playful, like a cross between Matisse and maybe some wild, untutored hand. Each carefully applied brushstroke is a testament to his dedication. It's a bit folksy, not fancy, and it invites us to think about where art meets craft, where form meets function. These objects are important, full of the spirit of art history. It is a beautiful exchange of ideas across time, inspiring creativity. They are gifts, after all.