Pa. German Plate c. 1938

Charlotte Angus made this watercolor of a Pennsylvania German Plate. The color palette is a cheerful ochre yellow, with earthy greens and browns defining the central motif of stylized tulips bursting from a pot. The paint handling is straightforward, giving the piece a kind of humble directness. It feels less like a precious artwork and more like a record, a heartfelt study of folk art traditions. Look closely at the way Angus renders the form of the plate, with its delicate sawtooth rim. Each tiny mark feels deliberate, a testament to the value of patience in artmaking. There is something very appealing in the way Angus seems to embrace the ethos of the original maker. The more I look at this the more I am reminded of the work of contemporary painter Lisa Yuskavage, in the way that she appropriates and updates the traditions of folk art. Like Yuskavage, Angus' work creates a space where different approaches to artmaking can co-exist.