Strainer c. 1941

Isidore Danziger made this 'Strainer' with watercolor and graphite. It’s an image of a humble wooden kitchen utensil, but it's so carefully and delicately rendered it feels monumental. Imagine Danziger at work here, teasing out the subtle variations in tone and texture. You can almost feel the grain of the wood and the soft light casting gentle shadows. I wonder if he was thinking about the warmth of a family kitchen while he was making this? The way he has captured the form of the strainer is both precise and intuitive. It reminds me of the quiet attentiveness of Agnes Martin's grids, or the everyday objects Morandi painted. There’s a generosity in the act of paying close attention to the mundane, elevating it to something worthy of contemplation. Painting is a way of seeing and thinking, where even a simple object can become a source of endless fascination and inspiration.