Flask 1936

This Flask, by Howard H. Sherman, is rendered with delicate watercolor washes. The color palette is limited, almost monochromatic, which gives it a subdued, reflective quality. Looking at it, I’m drawn to how the artist uses the wash to create a sense of volume and depth. There is a real sense of the material quality of the flask, the way light would play across the surface of metal. This is a drawing about a thing, but it's also about the properties of light. Check out the way the shadows are built up around the base of the flask. See how the color is layered to create a sense of dimensionality. This really speaks to the artist's understanding of form and his ability to convey it through subtle gradations of tone. It makes me think of Morandi, who spent his career painting bottles. Like Morandi, Sherman shows us how much there is to see in the simplest of things.