Spur c. 1936

Gerald Transpota made this small watercolor of a spur, we don't know when, but he lived a long life! The color palette is muted; it’s all browns and greys, but so subtly done. You can tell there's a real love for the object here. Look how Transpota rendered the metal of the spur, it really glows. The paint is thin and transparent, and he built up the form with these tiny little strokes. The whole image feels precise. Each small mark makes up the whole, like when you're knitting, each loop makes up the whole piece of clothing. I find myself thinking of 19th century realist painters like Courbet, who also just had a real love for objects. Ultimately, art is about seeing, and I feel like Transpota saw this spur really, really clearly.