Tiles c. 1938

John Wilkes made this subtle watercolour of three tiles sometime in the 17th century. You can tell that the artist has really taken their time, teasing out the earthy tones and watery qualities of the pigments. I can imagine Wilkes carefully layering the paint, letting each colour bleed softly into the next, in a slow, meditative process. Look at the upper square, a pale bluish-grey. He coaxes the colour across the grainy paper, and the subtle shifts in tone give it such depth, as though it’s breathing! The tiles cast a subtle shadow, grounding the composition. Even the smallest gesture can be full of feeling, intention, or meaning, and through this process, we can feel a sense of connection to the artist themselves. It reminds me a little bit of Agnes Martin's quiet but strong compositions, a shared exploration of form and colour, where simplicity becomes a kind of deep, visual poetry.