Sleigh Bells c. 1938

Robert Clark made this beautiful, quiet watercolour, Sleigh Bells, at an undetermined date. It’s a still life, but the object is floating on the page, captured with such detail that it feels alive. Clark seems to have been really interested in texture. Look closely: the body of the bell has a kind of dappled patina, whereas the metal of the bracket seems rougher, more matte. He doesn’t hide the way the object is constructed, how the little bells hang from chains, or how the bracket seems to have been bent into shape. I love the little accents of colour here, the way the watercolour pools in the darker, shadowy areas. I’m reminded of the early work of Vija Celmins, who also made drawings and paintings of everyday objects. Both Celmins and Clark seem to be interested in the world of things, and the quiet beauty of humble objects. The painting embraces uncertainty, asking us to stop and look closely.