Bowl c. 1936

John Cutting painted this bowl in watercolor, and it feels like a blueprint, like a design that’s dreaming of becoming a real, three-dimensional thing. I bet he worked meticulously, planning out those stylized tulips and leaves. The care he took outlining each shape, filling them in with flat, bright colors – it makes me think he really loved this bowl! There’s such a satisfying symmetry to the design. The more I look, the more I notice how the curves of the flowers echo the curve of the bowl itself. It's like the painting is a meditation on the form of a bowl, like Cezanne and his apples. And that thin purple line tracing the rim – a small detail that adds a touch of elegance and lifts the whole thing. Cutting's artwork reminds us that the act of painting is not just about depicting something. It's a way of thinking, of exploring, and of making something beautiful.