Lantern c. 1937

Earl Butlin made this watercolor of a lantern. Looking at it, I start to imagine the quiet focus involved in observing and recreating a mundane object. Butlin’s lantern emerges in gentle washes of color, a structure of pale wood, subtly shadowed. I start to picture the artist carefully laying down each stroke, building up layers of tone to capture the play of light on its surface. The texture almost dissolves, and the lantern flickers into being, a gentle, soft glow. There's a sense of intimacy and connection to the subject. You can really imagine Butlin's curiosity about the world around him, and his patient exploration of its forms. Painting is about looking, and looking, in turn, is about a form of knowing.