Vase c. 1940

This is Janet Riza’s “Vase,” made with paint on paper, though we don’t know exactly when. It is a juicy object! I can almost taste the shade of green, like some kind of delicious minty glass. I can imagine Riza, there in her studio, carefully rendering the play of light on its surface. She's really thinking about light here; how it bends and shifts on the transparent, fluted surfaces of the vase. The subtle variations in tone give it a real sense of depth and volume. There's something very satisfying in the way the fluted edges move with the light. The painting becomes a place for Riza to examine the form and function of the vase, which has an almost architectural quality. It seems both solid and ephemeral. Riza is really making a painting about seeing and thinking about a thing. She's not trying to just copy it but enter into a relationship with it. And it is a very rewarding relationship to witness.