Still Life with Tomatoes and Pitcher 1931

George Bouzianis made this watercolor, Still Life with Tomatoes and Pitcher, with fluid washes of green and red, offset by the barest suggestion of a blue sky. I’m trying to imagine the process of its making, with its swift and intuitive gestures, the paint bleeding softly into the paper. What was Bouzianis thinking as he worked? The pitcher feels solid and full, but it also has these soft edges and open, airy contours. The quick pencil lines that dance around the shapes suggest the artist was revising and rethinking as he went along. The painting feels like a search for form rather than a statement about it. I bet he was a great teacher. The surface tension of the paper and the delicate balance of hues reminds me of Cézanne, who, of course, was in conversation with painters like Manet. It’s a beautiful reminder that artists are always building upon one another’s work, finding inspiration in the past while pushing toward new horizons. Painting is an ongoing conversation, and I'm glad to be a part of it.