Violin c. 1940

Edward Jewett’s ‘Violin’ is rendered with watercolour in an observational style. The naturalistic palette, dominated by earth tones and browns, is very muted. The brushwork appears delicate and controlled, prioritizing precision and clarity of form over expressive mark-making. The subtle variations in tone and shading capture the texture and grain of the wood, especially in the body of the violin. You can almost feel the smoothness of the surface, or imagine the way it might resonate with sound. The side view of the violin is particularly interesting. Here we get to see the instrument’s construction in cross-section, so we are reminded that this is a three-dimensional object. I think it also reinforces the idea that the violin is a functional object, as well as a thing of beauty. This interest in the nuts and bolts of the object is reminiscent of Analytic Cubism, an approach adopted by Picasso and Braque who also showed objects from all angles at once.