Barber's Bottle c. 1936

Edward White made this barber's bottle, rendered in watercolor, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It's got these beautiful pink and mauve tones, almost like a dreamscape. I can almost feel White, brush in hand, carefully building up layers of color, letting the form emerge bit by bit. I wonder if he was thinking about Morandi while he was making this? There's that same sense of quiet observation, turning an everyday object into something that feels almost monumental. I’m drawn to the way the white lines snake across the surface, suggesting light and shadow, but also adding a layer of abstract pattern. You get the sense that White wasn't just copying what he saw but playing with the possibilities of paint, feeling his way through the image. I think all artists are talking to each other, across time and space, borrowing ideas, riffing on themes. It's like a big, ongoing conversation.