Cream Pitcher c. 1940

Edward L. Loper made this painting of a cream pitcher, no date is given, but it looks like it was painted with watercolour on paper. Look at how each kernel of corn on the pitcher is carefully described! It's like each one has its own little story, a kind of process of accumulation that builds up the whole form. The rendering of the pitcher is really charming. See how the artist uses thin, transparent washes of colour to create a sense of depth and form. The texture of the paper shows through, giving the surface a delicate, almost ephemeral quality. And there's this one little stroke of pink inside the lip of the pitcher that just sings, doesn't it? It's like a tiny burst of joy, a reminder of the simple pleasures in life. It reminds me a bit of some of Fairfield Porter's paintings, that same sense of quiet observation, the way he finds beauty in the everyday. Ultimately, this painting is about embracing the ambiguity of art, and the fact that there’s never just one way to see things.