Sausage Grinder c. 1937

Edward L. Loper created this painting of a sausage grinder with watercolor. Loper makes the painting sing through his mark making, it looks like the grinder is made of a rusty metal. The way he's layered the color and left some areas almost untouched, really gives the object volume. The paint is thin but he's built up the surface with lots of tiny brushstrokes that define form. Look how he uses a little green here and there to create contrast within the rust tones. It's so subtle but makes all the difference. This feels very much in line with someone like Joseph Stella, who found great beauty in industrial subjects. In art, as in life, meaning isn't fixed, but always grinding and shifting.