untitled (Woman Playing the Piano)

Contact The Charleston Museum for image use and credit instructions.

Description:

Watercolor on paper of an unidentified woman playing the piano. The painting may be a commissioned portrait, judging from the composition. Minimal detail is put into the piano, which is conveyed using faint purple and yellow brush strokes. The woman is conveyed wearing a purple pleated skirt with a magenta ribbon waistband and a loose white blouse. Ball has used the wet-in-wet techinique by applying the pigments in areas where the paper is already wet, causing them to bleed together. It is most clearly visible in the woman's arms, hair, and waistband. There is little detail in the face, and the artist's tape is still present along the edge of the paper, suggesting the artwork was not finished. The application of paint is generally light with no outlines.