Cup and Saucer c. 1936

Albert Camilli made this watercolour and graphite drawing of a cup and saucer, and, well, it's rather lovely, isn't it? The drawing is so delicate, as though Camilli wanted to capture the essence of these objects, their gentle curves and ornamental motifs. It's like he’s saying, "Look at this humble cup and saucer; aren't they delightful?" I can imagine him sitting there, carefully rendering each detail, the floral patterns dancing around the rims of the cup and saucer, a testament to the beauty that can be found in everyday life. And that soft, muted palette, with those lilacs and pale blues, makes me wonder if he was thinking of some long-lost antique china. There's a real tenderness, a kind of quiet joy, in Camilli's work. And that kind of reminds me of Morandi’s still life paintings of bottles and jars. We're all just trying to make something beautiful out of the stuff around us, right?