Snuff Jar 1938

Editor: We are looking at "Snuff Jar," a drawing, made in 1938 by Guido Metelli, and rendered with a medley of pencil and charcoal on paper. What immediately strikes me is its grounded stillness. What do you make of it? Curator: Guido Metelli’s still life drawings... they whisper, don't they? They’re not shouting for attention. This “Snuff Jar,” seems simple at first glance—a humble object, yet the light… see how it catches, pools, and slides? The artist has noticed the way the world breathes on simple things. Tell me, what feelings bubble up as you look at it? Editor: Calmness, and a sort of gentle curiosity. I guess it makes me wonder who might have owned that jar, what their lives were like… What do you make of the texture? Curator: Texture is a game here, isn’t it? We know, intellectually, it’s charcoal, pencil on flat paper… yet our eye wants to touch that rough-hewn surface, doesn't it? Metelli tricks us into wanting to grab hold of history. Makes one consider the weight of tradition itself, huh? Editor: Yes, almost like an archeological find. What have you learned from this? Curator: That the best art often disguises itself as ordinary. It beckons us to really see. And you? What did you carry away? Editor: That quiet observation can be deeply profound and I hadn't realised how intimate an old pot could be.