Brass Mortar and Pestle c. 1939

Carl Buergerniss made this watercolour of a brass mortar and pestle, and it's all about the making, isn’t it? The way the light catches the curves, the simple palette. The paper is smooth, but the paint has a subtle texture, like you could almost feel the grainy surface of the metal. See how the paint is thin and transparent in some spots, thicker and more opaque in others? Buergerniss must have built it up in layers, letting the color shift and change with each pass. I'm drawn to the way the watercolor pools inside the mortar, creating this dark, mysterious void. It’s like a little world in there, full of secrets and possibilities. This piece reminds me of Morandi, who, like Buergerniss, found endless inspiration in the simplest of objects. Art is an ongoing conversation, a constant exchange of ideas across time, and there's always room for another voice.