Sugar Bowl 1935 - 1942

Nicholas Amantea made this sugar bowl drawing with what looks like watercolour, and maybe pencil, too, sometime in the 20th century. It’s funny how the most mundane objects can become so interesting when you start to draw them. The thing that grabs me is the way Amantea uses these repeated horizontal lines to make up the form, giving it the feel of something that's been weathered or worn down over time. Look at the handle on the right side of the bowl; you can almost feel the smoothness of the curve. There’s something really pleasurable about the way the object is rendered in its humble and earthy tones. It reminds me of some of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, where he’s taking everyday objects and turning them into these monumental, meditative forms. And I suppose that's what art can do: take the simplest thing, like a sugar bowl, and make you see it in a whole new way.