Child's Top c. 1939

Fritz Boehmer made this watercolor of a child's top at an unknown date, and you can see the careful, considered process in the way he layers the colors. Look closely, and you'll notice the delicate brushstrokes creating the texture of the wood and the way the colors bleed and blend into each other, like the rings on the top that blur into one when it’s spinning. The paint is thin, almost transparent, allowing the paper's surface to peek through. The hole in the side appears like an eye, or some kind of a portal, giving the image a kind of face. Boehmer's other works often feature everyday objects rendered with similar attention to detail, elevating the mundane to something worthy of contemplation. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless inspiration in simple, overlooked subjects. And, like Morandi, Boehmer invites us to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the ordinary. It's art that embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations rather than offering fixed meanings.