Jug c. 1938

Frank Fumagalli made this Jug from watercolor on paper, and you can just tell how much he enjoyed the process. I mean, look at the way the brown paint pools and blends, creating this soft, almost hazy effect. It’s like he's not just painting a jug, he's painting the *idea* of a jug, the memory of a jug, you know? The color, that earthy brown, it’s not just one note, it’s a whole chord. It's got a subtle mix of warm and cool tones that give the jug form and volume. Notice the little details, like the darker lines around the lettering which give it a 3-D effect. Fumagalli’s work reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi, the way he could find endless beauty in simple, everyday objects. But where Morandi is all about subtle variations, Fumagalli has a kind of straightforward charm. Ultimately, the painting invites us to slow down, to appreciate the simple things, and to find beauty in the everyday.