Match Box c. 1939

John Tercuzzi made this watercolor of a Match Box, and it’s got me thinking about how we look at everyday objects. The color palette is super restrained, almost monochromatic, all these rusty browns and ochres. There’s something really beautiful about the way Tercuzzi embraces imperfection, that mottled texture, and the way the light catches on the eagle emblem. It feels honest, like he’s not trying to hide anything. I can almost feel the weight of the metal, that rough surface. I keep coming back to the edges of the box, where the brown meets the blank paper. It’s so subtle, but it defines the whole form. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi and his still lifes, there's a similar kind of quiet intensity. Both artists make you see the extraordinary in the ordinary, the beauty in the mundane. It shows you art is about the process of seeing.