Compote c. 1936

Marcus Moran made this watercolor "Compote" on paper, and I can just feel him at work, trying to get this dark blue vessel just right. The artist is figuring things out, stroke by stroke, it’s a process of learning what this vase is, and what it could be. He is trying to grasp the form and light and shadow in a way that feels real, but it’s also just an idea of a compote. I bet Moran had a relationship with this object, maybe it sat in his house? I keep thinking about the color itself— it's intense! The blue is layered, built up in washes that create depth and volume. There's a real tension between the solid geometry of the vase and the fluid brushstrokes that describe it. It’s not just a compote, it’s a symbol, it's about seeing.