Cigar Store Indian c. 1937

Here's John Davis' "Cigar Store Indian," made with watercolor and graphite. Look at the way the artist has built up the image through layers of thin, washy paint. I can imagine Davis leaning over the paper, gently coaxing the figure into being. What must it have been like to try to capture the weight and the solidness of the figure with such light materials? It's a dance between intention and accident, isn't it? The palette is muted – earthy reds, greens, yellows – which gives the figure a kind of quiet dignity. There's a stillness to the pose, but the colors add this vibrancy that keeps it from feeling too stiff. Davis is not just copying, but really feeling his way through the subject. I think that's what makes it sing, you know?