Coffee Pot 1935 - 1942

Charles Cullen made this drawing of a coffee pot, and you can see the barest bones of the image rendered in a delicate grey line. I can imagine him squinting at it, trying to capture its essence. It’s funny how even something as simple as a coffee pot can become a subject worthy of contemplation. Cullen isn’t just copying what he sees; he’s interpreting it, deciding what to emphasize and what to leave out. You know, it makes me think about how much of painting is about these little decisions, these tiny acts of translation. The lines feel tentative, as if he's feeling his way around the form. I wonder if he was thinking about Cezanne and his still lifes, all those apples and bottles, reduced to their basic shapes? I guess every artist is in conversation with the ones who came before, building on their ideas, pushing them in new directions. It’s a beautiful thing, this ongoing dialogue across time.