Mechanically Operated Toy c. 1940

Nicholas Amantea’s watercolour drawing pictures a painted wood toy, some kind of automaton, with a man and woman poised on top of it. Look at the controlled, deliberate precision of the lines. You can almost feel the artist holding his breath as he paints! I wonder about Amantea, what was he thinking as he worked? Was he aiming for accuracy, or did he allow himself some freedom? The colours are muted, almost pastel like, but they manage to suggest the bright, primary colours of the toy. I can imagine him scrutinizing the object, trying to capture the essence of the toy's form and texture, the matte surface of the box, the glossy sheen of the figures. The way the artist describes the shadows suggests depth and dimension. It reminds us that even in the most seemingly straightforward representation, there’s room for imagination, interpretation, and expression. In a way, Amantea is in dialogue with other artists throughout time who found fascination in the mundane.