Dough Trough c. 1937

Carl Keksi made this painting of a dough trough some time between 1855 and 1995 using paint on paper. The artist has laid out the form of the dough trough with great care. It's a simple object but it is painted in a style which is neither naive nor slick. I can imagine Keksi, patiently observing the object, mixing colors on his palette, and thinking about the light as it hit the wood. The paint is thin, allowing the paper to breathe. What strikes me is the tension between the precision and the warm, earthy tones. The artist is not trying to trick us, but instead, invites us to share in his particular way of seeing. There is a humility here, a desire to connect with the everyday. Think about folk art or outsider art. Keksi seems to be saying, "This is what I see, this is what I love." And in that act of sharing, he reminds us to look closer at the world around us and find beauty in the ordinary.