Jug c. 1939

Leroy Griffith made this jug in watercolor, and what strikes me first is the play of light across its surface. You can see the artist slowly building up the image, tentatively defining its round form with delicate washes. I wonder, was Griffith thinking about how to make something so solid and utilitarian also feel so luminous? See how the paint is applied thinly, almost like a glaze, allowing the texture of the paper to peek through. It's as if the artist wanted to capture not just the object itself, but also the way light bounces off its surface. The overall effect is one of quiet contemplation, a moment of stillness captured in time. It makes me think of other artists who painted everyday objects, like Morandi, seeking the sublime in the ordinary. It’s a slow painting, about seeing.