Cup c. 1939

Aaron Fastovsky made this drawing of a cup at an unknown date, with what looks like watercolor or gouache. It’s a simple object, yet the making of art is all about slowing down and really looking, isn't it? I love how Fastovsky used color to give the cup its form. The mossy green is mottled with flecks of rust-orange, which makes it look almost like a piece of glazed pottery. The handle is really interesting; it’s this simple loop, but it projects out from the cup in a very sculptural way. The way the light catches it makes it almost pop off the page. I wonder what he was thinking about as he made this? Was he trying to capture the light, or the shape, or just the feeling of holding a warm drink in his hands? It’s a bit like Giorgio Morandi's still lifes, focusing on the quiet beauty of everyday objects, and showing us that art can be found in the simplest of things. It reminds us that art is really an ongoing dialogue.