untitled (Man Reading)

Contact The Charleston Museum for image use and credit instructions.

Description:

Watercolor on paper of an unidentified man, seated with his back against a tree as he reads. The tree mostly blocks the figure giving the viewer a glimpse of the figure's right arm and foot. The book or newspaper he is reading is open with blank pages. The man wears a dark hued suit conveyed in shades of purple and magenta and the tree contains shades of brown, green, yellow, and red. Ball has used a dry brush technique to bring out the texture of the paper. The level of detail may suggest that the subject was captured from memory rather than from life. The composition and subject resemble an illustration rather than a portrait and the figure is outlined in a single, solid colored line, in the style of Japanese prints which strongly influenced the Charleston Renaissance Movement.