Wood Carving - Flower c. 1939

Lionel Ritchey made this flower with what looks like watercolor, and some kind of drawing medium, on paper. The flower is centrally placed and takes up most of the picture plane. The colors are muted, almost monochromatic, but if you look closely, you’ll see flecks of gold and brown that give the piece a bit of warmth. I notice that Ritchey wasn't trying to hide the process - the layered washes of color and visible pencil lines add to the charm. It’s like he's letting us in on the secret. The petals are soft, rounded shapes, but they also have a kind of hard, sculptural quality to them, like they’ve been carved from stone. I mean, it is called 'Wood Carving - Flower'! There's a quietness to this piece. It reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes, where everyday objects are transformed into something almost spiritual. Both artists share a fascination with simple forms and a willingness to find beauty in the mundane. Art, like flowers, just keeps growing, right?