Lantern c. 1938

Walter Hochstrasser made this watercolor, "Lantern," at an unknown date. The artist seems really interested in the surface quality of this object; it’s got this lovely, subdued palette of grays and browns. I love how artmaking is like this conversation with materials; it’s a process of give and take. Looking closely, you can almost feel the texture of the metal, right? The artist is very focused on the tiny details; the indentations, the little door latch. It's like he’s inviting you to trace the object with your eyes, to really see the thing. It gives you this strange sense of intimacy with something that is, well, just a lantern. This feels like it could sit well alongside some of the still lifes of Giorgio Morandi. There's a similar kind of quiet intensity, that same fascination with the everyday object. Art reminds us that there’s beauty in the mundane, that a simple object can be a source of endless contemplation.