Cream Pitcher c. 1936

This Cream Pitcher was made by Nicholas Amantea; no date is specified, but I can tell it was made with watercolor on paper. Look at the way the light catches the curves and edges of the pitcher. Amantea knew how to use the medium to its full potential! The texture, the color, the surface--it all comes together to give us a sense of the weight and shape of the object, like a trompe l'oeil. It feels like I could reach out and touch the handle. Look closely at the bottom of the pitcher. Notice the careful detail of each individual mark that makes up this section. The dark brown color really makes it look like metal. There's a slight similarity between this kind of close observation and the work of Giorgio Morandi, who also painted vessels, bottles, and other simple objects. In both, there's a stillness that comes from sustained looking.