Vase c. 1936

John Matulis made this drawing of a vase sometime in the 20th century, but he’s showing us a vase made back in 1850. The colours feel muted and aged, like the object it depicts has been sitting around for a while, gathering dust. Matulis really goes for it with the rendering here; you can see all the little marks he made to describe the textures and forms of the objects. The surface of the vase is built up of these warm, earthy tones, with these drippy-looking marks that give the whole thing a kind of worn, organic feel. The green surface underneath is equally worked, and the flat colour really makes the vase pop. This way of working is similar to someone like Fairfield Porter, who also made paintings of everyday things using close observation and a really personal touch. Ultimately, though, it’s about how these simple objects can become really captivating when someone takes the time to really look at them and translate that onto paper.