Crock c. 1936

This drawing of a crock was made by Samuel Sulkowitz at an unknown date, using what looks like graphite and watercolor on paper. It reminds me of the way Morandi would obsessively paint the same bottles over and over. Sulkowitz’s muted color palette, particularly the range of browns and blues, gives the drawing a grounded, earthy feel. I'm drawn to the way the watercolor is applied so delicately, almost like a whisper across the surface. It’s thin and transparent, allowing the texture of the paper to peek through. I love the way the blue leaf design repeats in a mirror image, anchoring the form. What’s striking is the contrast between the precision of the rendering and the humbleness of the subject matter. Like, is this guy the Chardin of crockery? It’s this kind of tension, between representation and abstraction, that makes art so endlessly compelling.