Mortar and Pestle c. 1939

Carl Buergerniss made this watercolor painting of a mortar and pestle, maybe sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The muted tones of the stone and wood create a quiet atmosphere; and the artist has clearly observed the way light defines the forms. I can almost feel Buergerniss’s focus, his intense concentration as he worked on this. It’s like a love letter to a humble, functional object. I wonder if he chose it for its sculptural qualities? The mortar and pestle are ancient tools, things you might find in an alchemist’s workshop, so maybe he felt some kind of connection to history and the painters of the past. It has this stillness, a meditative quality. I find myself thinking about artists like Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless inspiration in the simple shapes of everyday objects. It just goes to show how artists can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary through observation and feeling.