Vase c. 1937

Janet Riza made this vase, in purple watercolour and graphite on paper. Imagine her, leaning in, squinting slightly. A still life painter is a special kind of artist, so focused. What’s she thinking as she blends the paint on her palette? There’s a dance going on between the eye, the hand, and the object—the eye sees, the hand mimics, and the object sits, silent. I love how the object seems to glow from within. The colour choice gives off a sense of royalty, almost like a jewel. It’s the kind of colour that catches light in a very particular way, dense and lush, alluding to mystery. There is a directness here, a feeling of being ‘observed’ by an artist with intent. An artist in conversation with colour and form. Artists, after all, are always in dialogue, borrowing and building upon one another’s visions.