Stone Doorway, Carved 1939

Cornelius Christoffels made this watercolour on paper, called Stone Doorway, Carved. The artist is making a record of something, but it’s not just a copy, it’s a translation. Look closely and you can see how the stone is delicately cracked and crumbling, and the paint mimics this decay with a light wash of colour. The layers build up like sediment, recording time. The central area is a barely-there neutral colour, maybe an open doorway or perhaps a filled-in wall, it's hard to tell. The stone is carved into arches and pillars in exquisite detail, the pale colours rendering the scene with a quiet air. What I love is the gentle, slightly melancholic quality. It reminds me of Piranesi's etchings of Roman ruins; the same sense of history, of something grand slowly returning to dust. The process is one of care and attention, and it feels like a loving act. Artmaking here is a conversation with the past, full of ambiguity and quiet grace.