Brass Betty Lamp c. 1940

Oscar Bluhme made this drawing of a Brass Betty Lamp with some kind of paint, maybe watercolour, you can see the marks, the process. The brass object depicted has this wonderful colour, that's like a kind of gold, or a kind of bronze, in the drawing there's a wonderful, muted palette, which creates a quiet contemplative mood and the brushstrokes are loose and visible, letting the under-drawing peek through in places, revealing the artist's hand. It seems like Bluhme has enjoyed the process of applying the paint, capturing the subtle variations in the lamps surface and the delicate ornament at the top. It creates a sense of depth, and materiality. This piece reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, with their muted colours and focus on humble objects. Both artists share a similar interest in exploring the quiet beauty of everyday things and the poetry to be found in the process of looking. Art's like that, you know, an ongoing conversation, a continuous exchange of ideas.