Shaker Basket 1935 - 1942

Kapousouz made this watercolor painting of a Shaker basket, probably sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. You can almost feel the artist’s breath on the paper, can’t you? Imagine Kapousouz in front of this basket. He uses thin washes of color to build up the form, almost like he’s weaving the image together stroke by stroke. The light seems to glow from within, highlighting the simple beauty of this everyday object. He’s not trying to show off, just looking closely and translating what he sees. It reminds me of those quiet, contemplative still lifes by Giorgio Morandi, but with a touch more folksy charm. The gridded texture could represent a longing for order and simplicity, a desire to find beauty in the mundane. And that shadow—it’s not just a shadow, it’s like the basket’s alter ego, its hidden depths. Ultimately, it is a testament to the power of seeing, feeling, and responding to the world around us, carrying on a timeless conversation about how we perceive and represent reality.