Child's Handbag c. 1940

This 'Child’s Handbag' was made by Gladys Cook; but when, we don’t know. And you know what, I kind of love that! Cook painted this handbag in shades of brown, creating what looks like an alligator skin effect. I feel like I could touch it, open it, and find some little trinkets. Look at the additional drawing above, a ghost-like rendering of the interior, as if the artist were X-raying it, or perhaps just planning out the composition. The colors are muted, as if remembering a past that can’t quite be grasped. The purse itself is a little stiff; the alligator skin texture is carefully painted. But the metal clasp at the top, and the decorative silver-like flourish, have been rendered with the barest suggestion. I’m reminded of Elizabeth Murray who also has the ability to bring ordinary objects to life through a kind of humorous and slightly unhinged rendering. Murray and Cook both seem to be suggesting that art can embrace the everyday, turning it into something special.