Urn Design c. 1940

Charles Goodwin made this urn design with what looks like pencil and maybe some watercolor, and I’m struck by the precision of it. It’s like a dance between utility and decoration. Look at the subtle gradations of tone he’s achieved, from the dark shadows that give the urn its volume, to the delicate shading around the diamond shapes. There’s something so satisfying about the way he’s rendered the texture of the urn, almost as if you could reach out and touch its surface. Notice the detail of the floral motif in the diamond on the right, it reminds me of the work of artists like Agnes Martin, who found beauty in simplicity and repetition. This piece feels like a quiet meditation on form and function, it invites us to slow down and appreciate the beauty of everyday objects, and maybe even consider our own relationship to the things we surround ourselves with. It reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, and it's okay if those ideas are ambiguous.