Shaker Sugar Jar 1941

Charles Goodwin made this "Shaker Sugar Jar" out of watercolour, probably in 1941. It’s funny how you can make something so ordinary, like a glass jar, look so extraordinary, just by paying close attention to the process. The colour palette here is muted, mostly transparent greys for the jar, and an earthy, burnt sienna colour for the lid. The paint is thin, almost translucent in places, especially around the body of the jar, where the light seems to be shining through the glass. You can see the delicate, almost hesitant lines, tracing the shape of the glass; it’s like Goodwin is feeling his way around the object. I keep coming back to the bottom of the jar, where the glass curves inwards. There's a real sense of depth there, an almost tangible quality, achieved through subtle gradations of colour. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi and the way he would spend his days painting the same bottles, over and over again.