Compote c. 1936

This "Compote" was rendered in watercolor by John Tarantino. The pale, watery pigment sits so delicately on the page. I can imagine him, brush in hand, carefully coaxing the form of this glass bowl into existence. There’s something so touching in his focus, the way he’s built up these gentle washes to capture the transparency and the subtle curvature. Was he thinking about the play of light? Or about slowing down, and really seeing? Maybe he was thinking of Cezanne, or Morandi. He’s so earnest, so invested in this quiet observation. He is translating the bowl into the language of painting. Artists are always in conversation, across time and space. This is a humble meditation, that leaves space for us to slow down too, and really look.