Flask c. 1937

Alvin Shiren made this drawing of a flask, sometime between 1870 and 1930, we think, using watercolor and graphite. I love how Shiren renders the form with such tenderness. Look at the way he teases out the subtle gradations of tone – the delicate blush of the ceramic and soft shadows. It's as if the flask is breathing. The washes of color are so fluid, almost like memories. I keep thinking about Giorgio Morandi, who also painted bottles, but Shiren’s hand feels different, more immediate. The flower on the flask is just beautiful. It's so simple, yet so full of life, and seems to grow organically out of the ceramic itself. The flower is not quite centered which disrupts the symmetry, but I like that. It feels more human, more real. These details give the piece a kind of vulnerability. Art isn't about perfection, it's about the process, the artist's journey, and what they reveal along the way.