Economy Shoulder Yoke c. 1937

Ralph Atkinson painted this ‘Economy Shoulder Yoke’ in watercolor, giving the wood a warm, honeyed glow, offset by the cool grey of the straps. I like to think about what Atkinson was thinking as he painted, how he turned an everyday object into something monumental. Maybe he wanted to preserve a way of life that was already fading, or maybe he was just drawn to the shapes and textures of the yoke itself. There's something deeply satisfying about how the brushstrokes follow the curves of the wood, how the colors shift and blend to create depth and volume. And that pale ground - it's like the whole painting is breathing, expanding outward, and embracing quietness. For me, this yoke connects to a whole history of still life painting, where artists find beauty and meaning in the simplest things. It reminds me that paintings are a conversation across time, each one building on what came before, seeing the world anew.