Ladle c. 1937

Lyman Young’s "Ladle" seems to be made from watercolour paint on paper, though I’m not sure when exactly it was made. Look at the way the colors blend, a real process of letting the paint do its thing, kinda like how I work. I am interested in the texture, the color, and the surface. It’s like the ladle has its own little echo in the form of the secondary ladle. The way the paint pools and settles suggests a love for the materiality of the medium. See the shadow in the bowl of the ladle? The thin application of the paint creates a sense of depth and volume. It’s like he’s inviting us to imagine filling this ladle with something warm. It’s got the same kind of quiet intensity as, say, some of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings. Art, it’s all just one big conversation.