Statuette c. 1937

This watercolour by Frank Fumagalli shows a statuette of a musician, sometime between 1855 and 1995. I love how it captures the interplay of textures and forms, the wood of the object contrasting with the smooth paper of the support. I can imagine Fumagalli contemplating the object, how he carefully laid down each wash, building up the image layer by layer, capturing the way the light falls and the shadows. I can feel a certain sympathy with him as an artist looking at another object. What was it like to paint this? The slight blurriness, the watery edges of the brown paint. Was he trying to capture not just the physical appearance of the statuette but also its spirit? The dog sitting patiently, paws on knees, a wonderful detail of the scene. The musician seems quite solemn. This statuette and this watercolor reminds me of the many artists who have turned to everyday objects for inspiration, finding beauty in the mundane and inviting us to see the world with fresh eyes.