Bowl c. 1938

This quiet watercolour shows a bowl rendered in cool greens, blues, and white by Edward White. I can imagine White carefully layering washes of colour, mapping out stripes and stylized motifs with a fine brush. It's easy to think about the clean, calm painting of someone like Giorgio Morandi, but this work feels very different, and all its own. I wonder what White was thinking when he made it? Was he interested in form, or function, or decoration? These odd, hand-like shapes floating on a band of blue make me think of a kid in art class making a ceramic object, but with a level of detail and intention that is intriguing and a little strange. I think it’s interesting to see an artist engage with the history of painting, while also making something completely new.