Flask c. 1936

Charles Caseau made this watercolor of a flask, and it looks like the kind of observation that can only come from spending real time with the object. I love the way that Caseau approaches the flask's surface, it’s almost topographic. There's a delicate rendering of the flask's volume with layers of transparent washes, especially in the way the light catches on the roundness of the jug. Look at the subtle gradations of brown and blue, almost like he is trying to capture its very essence. But it's that lower band of dark red-brown that really grabs me. It's like the artist is saying, "this is where the flask meets the table." I’m reminded of Giorgio Morandi, in the way he would build a world out of bottles and jars, finding endless possibilities in simple forms. It really is the conversations between artists through time that keeps drawing me back. Ultimately, art is about seeing—and seeing again.