Cream Pitcher 1936

Janet Riza made this ‘Cream Pitcher’ with watercolour paint on paper, at an unknown date. The choice of watercolour is just perfect here, it gives that sense of light reflecting through glass, it's just so luminous, isn’t it? Look at how Riza has rendered the play of light on the pitcher's surface – it's so delicate, especially on those rounded diamond shapes. The way she has described the pitcher, using the transparency of the paint to build up those rich blues and purples, gives a real sense of volume and depth. She really captured the way light interacts with the object. Thinking about other artists who explored similar themes of domesticity and light, I am reminded of Morandi, who, like Riza, found endless inspiration in the simple, everyday objects around him. Art isn’t just about what you see, it’s about how you see.