Tilt Top Table 1937

Henry Murphy made this Tilt Top Table, we don't know exactly when or where. It is made with watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper. The colors and textures in this work on paper are amazing. It’s so subtle, the way Murphy captures the wood grain. You know, it’s funny, because it looks so much like a photograph, yet there is so much artistic process going on here! Look at how each area of the table is shaded. There is a kind of halo effect around the lighter areas and edges, that creates a sense of depth and roundness. It feels like you can almost touch it. It kind of reminds me of the work of Thomas Demand, who also recreates images of objects, but with paper and cardboard. Both artists show how everyday items can be transformed through a focus on process and materiality. Art can be a conversation with the mundane.