Wooden Cutlery Box c. 1942

Erwin Stenzel made this rendering of a wooden cutlery box, and it’s all about how the artist sees and feels about the object. The color palette revolves around these warm, earthy browns, capturing the wood grain with delicate strokes. You can really feel the process of observation. I love how the material aspects of the work contribute to its emotional resonance. The paint is applied with a sense of transparency, allowing the texture of the paper to peek through in places. The artist is interested in the surface of the object, it's material qualities. The dark ring around the top of the object creates a feeling of containment. Stenzel reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, in the sense that he's so focused on a simple object. Both were interested in the poetry of everyday objects, embracing ambiguity over fixed meanings.