Shaving Stand c. 1941

Joseph Cannella created this delicate watercolor painting of a shaving stand, we don't know exactly when. Look closely, and you can see the artist's hand in the detailed rendering of the wooden form. Imagine Cannella at work, carefully building up the layers of color to create a sense of depth and volume. The browns and tans are so warm. I feel like Cannella is inviting us to enter a quiet, personal space. I wonder if it was a space of reflection, a place for daily ritual. Notice the mirror reflecting a window with curtains. It offers another world within this world. The surface has a kind of naive quality, but that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s Cannella’s world, and we are invited in. It makes me think of other artists like Giorgio Morandi who explore interior spaces, finding endless inspiration in the everyday. Painting is like a philosophical conversation and Joseph Cannella is part of it.