Shaker Broom 1941

Peter Antonelli created this Shaker Broom with watercolor, and maybe some graphite, on paper. I imagine him in front of his subject, thinking about how to approach such a humble object. I like the way Antonelli has given this everyday item such importance by placing it in the center of the composition. You can almost feel the individual strokes that make up the broom's bristles, each one carefully rendered with slight variations in color. It's like Antonelli is meditating on the act of sweeping, turning something ordinary into something beautiful. It reminds me that we can find artistic inspiration everywhere we look. Antonelli’s work is a continuation of a long conversation between artists, where the simplest things can spark profound creativity.