Shaker Basket 1935 - 1942

Alfred H. Smith made this watercolour painting of a Shaker basket sometime in the 20th century. It's all in the layering. I wonder if he built it up patiently, stroke after stroke, almost like weaving the basket itself. The colours are muted and earthy, and there's something so humble and serene about the whole thing. You can feel the quiet attention he gave to the ordinary object, transforming the functional into something worthy of contemplation. I am thinking about Agnes Martin's grids and how repetition and simple forms can become vehicles for profound emotional and spiritual experiences. Smith shares with her a similar sensibility—a dedication to the handmade and a belief in the power of art to reveal the beauty in the everyday. Art is always a conversation across time. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before, and our work becomes part of the ongoing dialogue.