Walnut Wash Stand c. 1941

Harry King made this watercolor wash stand, most likely on paper, at an unknown date. Look at this solid, three-dimensional object, so carefully rendered through layered color and texture. You can almost feel the smooth grain of the wood. It’s kind of amazing, when you think about it: How does an artist conjure volume and depth from thin washes of pigment? I imagine King meticulously building up these delicate layers, coaxing out the subtle shifts in tone that suggest form and light. There is a real push-and-pull. Like he's building, and then smoothing. He probably worked, like many artists do, adding some and then taking away, searching for that sweet spot where the illusion of reality clicks into place. It reminds me of other painters, like maybe Giorgio Morandi, who found endless fascination in the simple act of describing everyday objects. King, too, transforms the ordinary into something special, something worth contemplating. And that is pretty neat, huh?