Pa. German Butter Mold c. 1938

Charlotte Angus made this rendering of a Pa. German Butter Mold with what looks like watercolor on paper. The color palette is muted and warm, which gives the piece a kind of humble feel. The attention to detail is amazing! Look at the precision with which she has depicted each little groove and indentation. You can almost feel the texture of the wood. The paint is applied in thin washes, allowing the paper to peek through in places. This creates a sense of depth and luminosity. It's so carefully done, yet it retains a kind of raw, handmade quality. You can see the hand of the artist in every stroke. This reminds me a bit of some of the still life paintings by Giorgio Morandi, in that it elevates an everyday object to the level of art. It invites us to slow down and appreciate the simple beauty of things. Art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time, and embraces ambiguity.