Carafe c. 1939

Van Silvay made this ‘Carafe’ with what looks like coloured pencil on paper. What I see first is the mark-making, the way the light and shadow build up the form from so many repeated strokes, a clear dedication to the process. There’s this beautiful green, almost turquoise, that the artist coaxes from the page. Up close, the texture of the paper comes through, reminding us of the physical connection between the artist’s hand and the artwork itself. I keep looking at the neck of the carafe where the colour pools to an almost luminous intensity, a happy accident of layering. This piece reminds me of the still-life drawings of Giorgio Morandi, in the way both artists use simple, everyday objects to explore colour, form and light. There’s a quiet beauty here, one that celebrates the act of seeing, and the magic of transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary.