Stilleven met kruik en een kandelaar op een boek before 1909

W.F. Barber made this etching of a still life with a jug and candlestick on a book. There is a kind of beautiful awkwardness to the drawing, a fumbling that feels so true. I love the way the lines cluster together and create a sense of shadow and depth, especially around the jug and candlestick. It must have been a slow, meditative process, scratching those lines into the plate, each one a deliberate act of mark-making. You can imagine Barber, squinting, head tilted slightly, trying to capture the essence of these objects, not just their appearance. It feels honest, like Barber is in conversation with other artists across time. I can imagine this etching hanging in a small room, a quiet testament to the endless possibilities of seeing and feeling through art. Painting doesn’t give us easy answers, but it gives us a way to keep asking questions, keep searching, and keep connecting.