Brass Mortar and Pestle c. 1939

Carl Buergerniss made this watercolour of a brass mortar and pestle, maybe from life, maybe from imagination. I wonder what he was thinking about as he applied those delicate washes of colour? There’s something so satisfying about the way the forms resolve and how they describe a full three-dimensional object. Look how the form and the shadow of the mortar and pestle are softly rendered, how the patina of the brass is captured with subtle shifts in tone. The whole composition is so quiet and still. You know, painting objects like this requires a lot of patience and a keen eye. I think artists who paint things like this – everyday objects – are looking for a kind of truth. I’m inspired to consider how Buergerniss’s work speaks to a larger conversation about what is considered worthy of artistic representation, and how even the simplest subjects can reveal profound beauty and complexity.