Stoneware Vase c. 1936

This is Fred Weiss's Stoneware Vase, a watercolor creation on paper. It's a deadpan rendering of a ceramic vessel, right? I can imagine Fred in his studio, squinting at the original, trying to capture its essence. Look at the brushstrokes, how they mimic the texture of the stoneware itself. The color palette is so muted and earthy, and the artist seems to have been trying to catch the light on its surface. The little blue details are so charming, like folk art tattoos, almost. It makes me wonder what kind of conversations Fred was having with other artists. What was he thinking about when he made this? Was it about the form, the history, the idea of the vase itself? Artists are always in dialogue with each other, borrowing and riffing and turning things on their heads. The painting feels like a moment frozen in time, a testament to the enduring power of art.