Pa. German Toilet Box c. 1939

Carl Strehlau made this drawing of a Pa. German Toilet Box, with some kind of mixed media, possibly watercolor and graphite. It's not about high drama, but more about observation, and the kind of intense looking that makes art feel more real than "real" life. The box sits a bit off-kilter, and Strehlau seems to be really into the texture of the wood. Look how he makes the grain jump out! It feels like he’s trying to touch it through the paper. Then there's that mirror, all cloudy, like time itself has settled on it. My eye keeps going back to the star motif on the box’s front – it’s got this off-the-cuff, almost child-like quality. Strehlau reminds me a bit of Charles Burchfield, who also found the extraordinary in the everyday. It’s like they both had this secret code to unlock the hidden beauty in ordinary things, proving that art isn’t just about grand gestures, but the quiet, persistent act of looking.