Mortar c. 1940

Charles Garjian made this painting, ‘Mortar,’ with what looks like watercolor or gouache on paper, sometime in the 20th century. It's a really careful, almost scientific, depiction of a simple object. I'm struck by how Garjian handled the wood grain. Look at the way he layered washes of brown, yellow, and even a little red to create the illusion of depth and texture. You can almost feel the rough surface of the wood. The physicality of the medium, the thin, transparent layers of paint, mimics the way light interacts with the actual object. This layering speaks to the process of observation, of really seeing and understanding something. There’s a similar feeling in some of the still life work by Giorgio Morandi. Both artists share an interest in the poetry of the everyday, finding beauty in the mundane. It’s a reminder that art is all about how we look, and what we choose to see.