Vase c. 1936

Janet Riza made this painting of a vase, in what looks like watercolor on paper. Look how the amber color seeps across the form, darker at the lip and base, and paler in the middle where the light hits it. I bet Janet had the actual vase right in front of her as she worked, and this wasn’t just some idea in her head. You can see it in the way she’s captured the highlights and the subtle gradations of color. She’s not just painting a vase. She’s painting light, reflection, and transparency. I imagine her studying the object, squinting to see the nuances of color and shadow, carefully mixing her paints to match what she sees. Janet is in conversation with Giorgio Morandi, maybe? Both trying to extract the sublime from humble, everyday objects. Isn’t it interesting how artists look at other artists, across time, learning and responding to one another? It’s like one big, ongoing conversation that never ends.