Mug c. 1940

Isidore Steinberg made this painting of a mug, and the honeyed tones and vertical stripes have a lovely luminescence, don’t they? I can imagine the artist building up the image, layer by layer, shifting and refining the hues until it almost glows. And I wonder, was he thinking about how light interacts with the glass, how it bends and filters through the surface? I’m also intrigued by the handle, which looks as though it’s been pulled and twisted from molten caramel, somehow solidifying into this ornate form. It’s all a bit whimsical. It reminds me of Morandi, who also focused on these unassuming, everyday objects to explore light, form, and composition. There’s something profound in paying such close attention to the humble objects around us, don’t you think? Painters are constantly in conversation, borrowing and building on one another's ideas. Painting offers us all a way to experience the world.