Candlestick 1937

Ralph Atkinson’s Candlestick, made at an unknown date and with unknown materials, shimmers on the paper. Isn't it funny how one person’s vision can capture something so simple and turn it into a whole world? I can imagine Atkinson carefully laying down each stroke, trying to capture that perfect glassy blue, just like when I’m trying to nail a color in my paintings—that push and pull between what you see and what ends up on the canvas. Look at the way the candlestick curves and swells, almost like it’s breathing. It reminds me of the glassblower’s breath, shaping something beautiful and fragile from nothing. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi’s bottles, quiet and contemplative, but with a touch of Atkinson’s own flair. There is a whole conversation going on between artists, with all of us bouncing ideas off each other through time. I think that this image shows us that artists see the world a little differently, finding beauty in the everyday and inviting us to look again.