Candlestick c. 1938

This simple still life of a candlestick was painted by Eldon Allen, though we don't know when, and it's like he wants us to consider the process of looking itself. The grey colour palette and muted light is really interesting, it feels like Allen has observed how light falls on the metal. The rendering has an almost photographic precision, a pre-photographic version of hyperrealism maybe. But up close, it's clear that he's focused on details. Look at how he has rendered the drips of wax running down the central column - a perfect analogy for the fluid and unpredictable nature of artmaking itself. It’s a beautiful, quiet painting, inviting us to look closely, to think about the traces of use, and to maybe consider a parallel with the art of Giorgio Morandi. The quietness becomes meditative, like a still, small voice amid all the noise.