Jug c. 1937

This jug was rendered in watercolor by Giacinto Capelli, who lived a long life, from 1855 to 1995. Capelli's soft mark-making gives the jug a quiet, unassuming presence. The colors are muted, mostly earthy grays and browns, which suggests a kind of humility, a focus on process over grand statement. If you look closely, you can see the texture of the paper coming through the watercolor washes. This adds a tactile quality to the piece, as though you could reach out and feel the roughness of the jug itself. The brown area in the middle of the jug almost looks like a stain from the passage of time. I like how the form of the jug is rendered without strong outlines, letting the tones suggest its weight. It makes me think of Giorgio Morandi's still lifes, which imbue everyday objects with a quiet, meditative quality, and reminds us to look for beauty in the ordinary. There’s a kind of poetry in that, don’t you think?