Pitcher c. 1939

This warm, brown pitcher was made by Samuel O. Klein, we don't know exactly when, but it looks like it was drawn with colored pencils. I just love how the flat picture plane gives way to this almost-there dimensional form. You can feel the artist, pencil in hand, carefully building up the tones to create the illusion of light on the pitcher's surface. There's something so tender in the way Klein coaxes out the curves and angles, almost like he's discovering the pitcher's form for the first time. Each careful line feels like a meditation on shape, light, and color. The white decorative flourishes along the rim have a quirky, handmade quality. It reminds me of the work of other artists who blur the lines between representation and abstraction, like Giorgio Morandi, who also spent his life drawing and painting similar objects. It's a quiet conversation across time, where one artist builds upon the observations and discoveries of another.