Pewter Teapot 1935 - 1942

Charles Cullen's drawing presents a pewter teapot rendered in graphite and pencil. It's like he's trying to catch the light as it glances off this everyday object. I can imagine him, charcoal in hand, head tilted, really studying all those curves and angles. The gray shading makes me think of quiet mornings and the ritual of tea. It's not flashy, but there’s a certain kind of beauty in its simplicity, you know? The slightly off-center composition and that simple rendering of the object, reminds me of Morandi, or maybe even some of those realist still lifes from art school. I find it fascinating how Cullen makes something so ordinary feel so worth looking at. It makes you wonder what he was thinking when he made it. Maybe he just really liked teapots, or maybe he saw something deeper in them. Artists are always teaching us to look at the things around us, and find beauty in the everyday.