Churn c. 1936

Frank Fumagalli made this drawing of a churn out of pencil and watercolour, carefully describing its surface. Look at how the artist has created the impression of a smooth surface by gradually modulating the colour! I'm trying to imagine what Fumagalli might have been thinking as he made this artwork, and the different stages involved. How he began with a faint line around the form and slowly built up the colours from light to dark, deepening and blending. I can imagine him mixing the pigments on his palette, patiently adding water to achieve the right consistency. It is almost like he is modelling with the watercolour, using subtle gradients to give the churn its three-dimensional form. The even lighting is unusual but it gives the artwork a feeling of stillness and timelessness. Painters are always in an ongoing dialogue, each work building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before. By embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, artists enable endless possibilities.