Table c. 1938

Arthur Mathews made this 'Table' as an image – no date given, so we'll have to guess – using a watercolour medium to capture the material qualities of a table. I see the artist carefully rendering the surface grain of the wood, its smooth, polished surface in strokes of deep reds and browns, offset by the fine yellow detailing. It makes me think about how the light might reflect off its surface. How did Mathews approach the painting? Perhaps, first laying down the broad washes for the ground, then adding layers of detail to build up the form and texture of the table? I can imagine him, brush in hand, contemplating the play of light and shadow on the original wooden table, trying to translate its three-dimensional reality onto a two-dimensional plane. I imagine the conversations he might have had with other painters and sculptors. Painting is an ongoing exchange, an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity. I love that about painting; it allows for multiple readings. It makes me want to pick up a paintbrush!