demuth

in the future i will be checking out more art books from library. for some reason i have never really taken advantage of the art section of my library (why NOT? i don't know), but this summer i absolutely will. right now i'm going through hide/seek, a book about the role and codes of homosexuality in the work (particularly portraiture) of several artists, such as winslow homer, marsden hartley, and one of my favorites, charles demuth. looking at and learning to read these sometimes-hidden messages in artwork is reminiscent of being in college english classes; i'm being taught to see things that i never would have if someone didn't inform me of the possibility of their existence.

so let's have a look at some of demuth's work. i love his watercolor technique—it almost blooms, as a result of his use of water and diluted colors.

i don't yet feel qualified to say whether there are hidden codes in these, but you can kind of see, in the first image, a sort of tension between subjects. like i said, i'm still learning, but i think it's quite something to be able to look at an image and get not only its aesthetic, but also its underlying narrative.

well, it's going to be another meltingly hot day today. time to secure the premises.
have a lovely wednesday!