Ship's Bell 1939

Raymond E. Noble painted this "Ship's Bell," using a rather muted palette of earthy browns and greens. I imagine Noble, brush in hand, carefully considering the texture of the metal, the way the light catches on its surface, the slight imperfections and patina accumulated over time. There's a sensitivity here. The strokes of the brush are delicate, almost tentative, as if he were trying to capture not just the object itself, but its history, its weight, its resonance. I wonder if he could hear its echo as he painted. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi and the way he obsessively painted the same bottles over and over again.