Candlestick c. 1936

Geoffrey Holt painted this candlestick with watercolor on paper. The image emerges through these watery washes, shifting between pink and grey, with the bare paper glowing through. I can imagine Holt feeling the light on this object, trying to capture its gleam. There's something so tender about this attention, the soft blush of the base contrasting with the cool metallic suggestion of the stand. The little dabs of grey under the rims are so delicate. I wonder if he layered them to get the shading just right? The brushstrokes are loose, almost impressionistic. I think of Giorgio Morandi's still-life paintings. There's a similar quietness, an exploration of light and form through repetition and subtle variation. Painting for me is a conversation, artists responding to each other across time and space, riffing on ideas, inspiring new ways of seeing.