Fruit Slicer c. 1938

Here we have 'Fruit Slicer,' a watercolor by Edward L. Loper. The muted palette, dominated by browns, grays, and the off-white of the paper, gives a sense of stillness, a kind of quiet observation. The mark-making is precise and controlled, with delicate washes and sharp lines describing the details of the machine. The texture of the wood is rendered with a gentle touch, the grain suggested rather than overstated. The metal parts have a cool, smooth quality, almost as if you could touch them. Looking closer, there's a slight trembling in the lines, particularly in the rendering of the large central gear, which conveys a feeling of the object being slightly unsteady. This imbues the image with a sense of fragility, like a memory fading with time. Loper's fascination with the everyday reminds me of the still life works of Giorgio Morandi. Both artists find poetry in the mundane. It's not just about the object itself, but about how we see it, and how it makes us feel.