Pitcher c. 1941

Joseph Mitry’s ‘Pitcher’ is rendered in watercolor with delicate lines that describe form and volume. The subtle gradations of tone suggest an artist deeply engaged with the effects of light. I imagine Mitry absorbed in observation, trying to capture the way light refracts through the glass, turning a functional object into something shimmering and ethereal. There’s a quiet intensity in the way he teases out these subtleties, a real attempt to see beyond the everyday. What was it like to really look, to really see, and then record it? I appreciate Mitry’s patient approach. It reminds me of other painters deeply involved with light such as Corot or Morandi. It’s like they’re all having a conversation across time about the simple profound act of looking. Ultimately, it’s this act of attentive looking, of noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary, that connects us all as artists and viewers.