Kettle c. 1940

Maurice Van Felix made this artwork of a Kettle, we don't know exactly when, but it looks like it might have been made with graphite or charcoal. There's a real softness and blurriness to it, with all those subtle tonal shifts, it's not a stark photorealist rendering, but one that embraces the grey areas, literally and figuratively. Look at the surface of the kettle itself, the way it's built up with so many tiny marks. There's a crack running down the side of the kettle that feels like it could be a metaphor for the passage of time, or the imperfections that give things character. Those three stubby legs remind me of the supporting structure that all objects rely on, maybe even us humans too. This kettle is a quiet meditation on everyday objects, reminiscent of the way Morandi painted bottles, turning the mundane into something profound. What is more profound than a simple tool that once boiled water for warm drinks? Food for thought!