Vase c. 1937

Editor: This is "Vase," a watercolor and drawing from around 1937. The colour is arresting - this rich emerald tone, making the glass vase almost glow. It feels quite formal to me, due to its symmetrical composition. What stands out to you? Curator: Immediately, I am drawn to the artist's control of light and shadow. Notice how the reflections are rendered, particularly along the vertical fluting. It creates a powerful sense of depth, defying the flat picture plane. How would you describe the shape? Editor: It's sort of like a tulip, I guess - the way the top flares open. So the form reflects an organic reference point? Curator: Precisely. But observe how this natural form is abstracted through sharp, geometric lines and defined volumes. Consider the interplay between the organic and the geometric. The drawing and watercolour mediums, how do they enhance the experience? Editor: The watery transparency of the colour certainly communicates the materiality of glass very effectively! Does the precision with which the artist renders this glass object suggest some deeper formalism to the artwork? Curator: Indeed, and it encourages a consideration of structure. Do we see this artwork only for its depiction of a glass vase, or are there other levels to plumb? For instance, notice how it uses line to suggest symmetry, volume, shadow. How would it speak to an audience that hadn't even seen the subject of the piece? Editor: Fascinating. So by observing line and colour alone we may consider the work outside any explicit reference. Thank you for expanding my viewpoint. Curator: The pleasure was all mine; a fruitful examination indeed.