Bowl 1938

Editor: This is "Bowl," a watercolor and drawing piece created in 1938 by Giacinto Capelli. There’s something so delicate about the rendering of the glass – almost as if it’s about to fade away. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: My attention is immediately arrested by the formal tension between representation and abstraction. Notice how Capelli renders the bowl with realistic detail, capturing the light and shadow on its surface, yet simultaneously flattening the image onto a two-dimensional plane. This tension is a formal choice which creates an ambiguity of space. Editor: Ambiguity? Can you expand on that a bit? Curator: Certainly. The interplay between line and wash, for instance, creates a captivating effect. The firm, delineated lines attempt to define form, while the soft washes suggest a subtle dematerialization of the subject, as you noted earlier. What do you think is achieved by the selection of this color? Editor: I find the choice of this translucent, reddish-purple intriguing. It suggests a sense of fragile beauty, maybe like the afterglow of something. Does this have any impact on the piece’s formal characteristics? Curator: Precisely. Color contributes profoundly to our understanding of form, and the particular hue Capelli selects—applied through layering techniques—alters one’s perception of weight and volume. Through that combination, the formal reading gives access to the essence of form itself. Editor: It’s interesting how a seemingly simple object, like a bowl, can be so rich with formal relationships. Curator: Indeed. Appreciating this complexity rewards patient observers, inviting engagement and thought around even quotidian scenes or objects.