Rural Kitchen 1935 - 1942

Perkins Harnly made this ‘Rural Kitchen’ out of watercolor and graphite on paper. Looking at this image, I can see the artist working away at it, fiddling with the details, figuring out a way to describe the space of the kitchen. The painting isn’t about capturing light but more about collecting things. Like, look at the wallpaper. It’s all flowers and geometry. How did he decide on that color? Or the stove—it’s like a sculpture. I think Harnly was thinking about how to make a picture that was also a memory. He wasn’t trying to trick you, but to build a world. And I bet he collected images of things that interested him, sort of like collage. Painters look at each other, and it makes me think about Harnly, working away, maybe thinking about other artists and how they made their worlds. Making art is always about talking to each other, across time, and figuring out how to see. And how to remember.