Trivet c. 1942

Violet Hartenstein made this image of a trivet with watercolor. It's interesting to see the workaday elevated. The way the artist has described the form of the trivet, focusing on the material qualities of the metal and wood, makes me consider the process of describing an object through painting. The color palette is kept simple, with muted greys and browns dominating the image. See how the artist has built up tone and texture through layering and blending the watercolor. It is as if she is trying to understand its purpose, and the marks that make up the surface are gentle and exploratory. I wonder if the artist was aware of the work of Giorgio Morandi? He also used painting to reflect on the beauty of the everyday. Like Morandi, Hartenstein embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations rather than fixed meanings.