Pa. German Sugar Bowl and Creamer c. 1941

Here's William L. Antrim's painting of a Pa. German Sugar Bowl and Creamer, but when it was made, I'm not too sure. The careful rendering in watercolor, it's all about capturing the light as it falls on the glazed surfaces. I imagine Antrim, hunched over his work, squinting to get the highlights just right. Look at the way the dots of yellow form patterns over the brown glaze, it’s like he's trying to trap the light in the painting. It makes me think about the history of still life, all that effort to make something permanent out of things that are so ephemeral. I wonder if Antrim was thinking about that too? It's as if he's saying, "Hey, look at this. Isn't it beautiful?" And it is. Antrim's painting invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to find beauty in the everyday. And that’s what painters have always done for each other, and for the rest of the world.