Plate c. 1936

This piece is Joseph Sudek’s "Plate", made with watercolor, graphite, and paper. The simplicity of the subject matter is just great, it’s a humble domestic object, but the way Sudek renders it, the mark-making, it’s almost like a dance of color on the surface. It’s like he's trying to capture the light shimmering off the plate. Look how the gold trim is rendered with these thin, delicate strokes, it’s just so elegant and refined. And the blue design in the center of the plate, it’s loose and gestural, like he’s letting the watercolor flow and do its thing. It's a great example of how something ordinary can become extraordinary through the artist’s eye. He draws our attention to the potential for aesthetic wonder inherent in the most simple of objects. I can't help but think of Giorgio Morandi when I see this, he also had an interest in creating art from everyday objects, but I feel like Sudek brings a unique sense of playfulness to it.