Three Quart Beer Pitcher c. 1940

Carl Buergerniss created this watercolor artwork of a beer pitcher, using delicate washes of blues and greys to define the curves of the object. It’s an exercise in observation and documentation, but it's also about imagination. I can just see Carl, carefully considering his subject, the light falling across its surface, trying to capture its essence on paper. I love how the reflective metal parts of the beer pitcher are rendered with soft, muted tones. The blues used for the floral motifs are a world apart. I wonder if Carl knew the pitchers themselves would one day disappear, making his image a precious record of this utilitarian object. Painting is like that: it’s an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring creativity.