Man's Suit c. 1936

Nancy Crimi made this “Man’s Suit” with watercolors on paper, and it just strikes me as so understated yet precise. I imagine Nancy, with her hand steady, carefully applying each delicate wash of color, building up the form of this suit with incredible detail. See how she captures the texture of the fabric with tiny, repetitive marks, almost like a pointillist painting? The subtle shifts in tone create a sense of depth and volume, making the suit feel almost tangible. I wonder if she was thinking about the person who would have worn this suit, imagining their life and the occasions they might have attended? Or maybe she was just fascinated by the challenge of rendering the complex folds and curves of the garment, reveling in the sheer craftsmanship of the piece. It makes me think about the conversations happening between artists, across time, around representation and abstraction, and all the spaces in between.