Food Safe c. 1939

George V. Vezolles made this 'Food Safe' with graphite and watercolour, and what strikes me is the confidence in the mark making. The cabinet is rendered in a cool blue which is thin and transparent, built up in layers; in contrast to the paneling, a warm, almost coral, that seems to shimmer with a stippled texture. The drawing has a lightness of touch, a precision, but it also maintains a certain flatness, like a memory of a cabinet rather than an actual one. Notice the details: the slightly wonky perspective, the subtle variations in tone. It's these imperfections that give the work its charm. Vezolles was clearly interested in line and pattern, and perhaps, like Josef Albers, he explored the interaction of colour, and the way colours shift and change depending on their surroundings. This piece reminds us that art is about seeing, feeling, and thinking—and about the endless possibilities of colour and form.