Two Stones 1977

Avigdor Arikha made this watercolor painting of two stones. And if I were him, I would choose watercolor, too! The stones have been lying around for a long time. They’re both rough, but the stone on the right is much more so. It’s sharp and fractured, a collection of planes. To paint them, I imagine that he had to stop and squint at the play of light on their surfaces, to see all the angles and crags. I can imagine the way the water would make the watercolor pool and blossom on the page; I can imagine him tilting the paper ever so slightly, and coaxing the grays and browns into just the right shapes and tones. What a pleasure it must have been to spend a quiet moment in such close conversation with these humble stones. This watercolor reminds me that the most exciting subject matter is often closer than we think.