Beer Mug c. 1939

This watercolour painting of a beer mug was made by Carl Buergerniss, though we don't know exactly when. The palette is muted, mostly earth tones with a striking cobalt blue, and the composition is simple, almost devotional. It reminds me of the kind of basic subject matter that Cezanne came back to, again and again, in his still lifes. Look closely, and you can see how the artist built up the form of the mug using thin, transparent washes of colour. The blue details, like the musical notes, are applied with delicate precision, suggesting a deep engagement with the physicality of the medium. There’s this area on the handle that almost disappears into the white background. It's like the artist is inviting us to consider the relationship between the object and the space around it. Buergerniss reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, with his paintings of bottles and jars, the way he finds something profound in the everyday. Art, like beer perhaps, is about taking time to contemplate, savour, and enjoy.