Clothes Pins c. 1938

Robert Gilson made this watercolor of two clothes pins, sometime in the 20th century. He's taken a very simple everyday object and given it the space and attention we usually reserve for fancier stuff. Look at how he's rendered the wood grain, so attentive to its texture and color. You can almost feel the smoothness. The way Gilson has built up the tones – thin washes over pale paper – shows us how he’s really thinking about light and shadow, and how a form emerges through careful observation. The subtle gradations on these humble objects are beautiful. This reminds me of those Shaker artists, who found a kind of spiritual beauty in functional objects. Think of Agnes Martin and her quiet grids. It’s like Gilson is saying, “Hey, look at this thing, really look at it.” There’s a real generosity in that, a reminder to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.