Lamp c. 1936

Charles Caseau made this ‘Lamp’ with watercolor on paper. You can see how he’s built up the image through layers of washes. Look at how the light plays on the lamp's metallic surface. The blues and greys aren't just descriptive; they evoke a kind of cool, industrial feel. And then, notice the shadows around the object, how they're not quite filled in, suggesting a sense of incompleteness or maybe just the fleeting nature of light itself. It is like a memory of a lamp. This piece reminds me of Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes, where everyday objects become imbued with a quiet, contemplative presence. Caseau, like Morandi, finds poetry in the mundane. In this way, art becomes not about grand gestures, but about seeing the world, and what’s to hand, with fresh eyes.