Kerosene Lantern 1939

Samuel Faigin made this watercolor of a Kerosene Lantern, and what strikes me is how he's approached it almost like a mechanical drawing. The tone is very subtle, almost monochromatic, but the way he's used shading gives the object volume. Look at the glass globe and the way he's used these tiny white flicks to suggest light and reflection, it's so delicate! You can really sense the care and attention to detail, the way he's built up the form gradually. This is a type of painting where the process is slow and contemplative, one mark at a time. The object itself, the lantern, becomes more than just a source of light, it's a symbol of history, a relic of the past. It reminds me a little of Joseph Stella's drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge; they both share this interest in humble, everyday objects elevated through careful observation and rendered with precision. But with both artists, it's never just about the object itself, it's about the process of seeing and understanding the world around us.