Teapot c. 1938

Edward White made this watercolor painting of a teapot, we're not sure when, but he lived a long life. I love the way White let’s the white of the paper do a lot of work. It’s a see-through kind of way of painting, which gives you a sense of immediacy, like he set up his still life and just went for it, trying to capture the way the light fell on the ceramic. It's so delicate! You can see how the blue lines that wrap around the pot are a bit wobbly – not in a bad way, but in a way that shows a human hand at work. And then there’s this little crack running down the side of the pot, which makes the whole thing feel so alive and real. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi, who painted the same bottles over and over again, each time finding something new in their simple forms. White’s teapot isn't just an object, it's a portrait.