Mortar and Pestle c. 1939

This is Carl Buergerniss' drawing of a mortar and pestle, made with graphite and watercolor. Look at how he's built up the form with delicate washes of color, like he's coaxing the object into being. You can almost feel the rough texture of the stone and wood, a quiet nod to the artmaking process itself. The texture is everything here. See that little patch of shadow clinging to the side? It’s like Buergerniss is saying, "Hey, look closely, there's so much happening in this one little spot." The drawing breathes, it's not just a static object, it's alive with light and shadow, and subtle shifts in tone. I see echoes of Giorgio Morandi in the stillness and quiet observation, a focus on simple, everyday objects elevated to something monumental, showing us the beauty in the mundane. It's a reminder that art is about seeing, really seeing, and transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary.