Pa. German Plate c. 1939

Giacinto Capelli made this watercolor painting of a Pa. German Plate at an unknown date. Just look at that deer, suspended in mid-leap, almost like a memory or a dream! The color palette is so earthy, like something you'd dig up from the ground, and the marks are incredibly delicate, like the artist was trying to capture the essence of this plate rather than just its appearance. The way Capelli handles the watercolor, it's almost transparent in places, allowing the paper to peek through and create a sense of depth. Notice the rim of the plate. The artist creates a sense of texture in the plate using the brown pigment. The painting reminds me of some folk art traditions, where objects are imbued with stories and symbolism. Art isn't about perfection; it's about embracing the messy, the imperfect, and the ambiguous.