Pa. German Jar 1936

Eugene Shellady made this painting of a Pa. German Jar, sometime around 1936, using paint on what looks like paper. I love the way the brown of the jar is broken up by little variations, it's not just a flat color. You can really see the brushstrokes and the way the paint sits on the surface. Those little yellow flowers feel like a nice afterthought, and there’s something naive about the way they are painted. The dark outline is not exactly following the shape of the yellow, like a kid has coloured slightly outside the lines. It's interesting how Shellady chose to depict this humble, everyday object. It reminds me a little bit of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his life painting the same bottles over and over. There’s something meditative about focusing so intently on a simple form. And it makes you think about how even the most ordinary things can be beautiful, if you really take the time to look.