Pistol c. 1941

Albert Rudin made this unnamed watercolour, Pistol, at an unknown date. The artist’s process is evident in his delicate mark making and considered colour palette; the watercolour creates a sense of depth and realism, mimicking the pistol’s metallic and wooden textures. The layering of pigment gives the pistol a tangible quality, as if it could be picked up from the page. I am drawn to the rendering of the pistol's handle, where Rudin blends warm browns and umbers to capture the wood grain. Each stroke seems carefully placed, like a meditation on form and function. I am reminded of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, which explored humble objects with a similar quiet intensity. Like Morandi, Rudin asks us to contemplate the beauty in the everyday, finding art in the most unexpected places.