Crock 1935 - 1942

I. Domskoy Kallman made this watercolor of a crock, right on the cusp between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I love how Kallman saw and described the crock. You can really feel the process of its coming-into-being, through trial, error, and intuition. I wonder, when Kallman made this, were they thinking about the original maker of the crock, feeling connected to the potter, thinking about the purpose of the object, its function? The paint isn't too thick but somehow, they managed to build up a lot of texture. I love how the blue leaves, the way they droop and reach, convey a feeling of longing. It makes me think of other artists, like Giorgio Morandi, who spent their lives considering everyday objects. Artists are always in conversation, inspiring one another's creativity across time, and painting is a space that allows ambiguity and uncertainty, opening the way to multiple readings.