Torch 1938

Thomas Dooley’s ‘Torch’, dating from an unknown point in the 20th century, captures the object in tones of bronze and brown watercolor. I can only imagine the artist carefully building up these layers of paint. I wonder if Dooley was thinking about the way that light can transform an ordinary object into something extraordinary? The torch itself becomes a focal point; an exercise in form, light, and shadow. The darks almost swallowing the light! Look at the line of the metal handle looping up and around the torch body—the gentle curve of the line is so subtle. It reminds me of the way Agnes Martin would draw a line. I think of Morandi and his tabletop arrangements. These artists, like Dooley, invite us to find beauty in the everyday and to consider the subtle interplay of form and light. They remind us to slow down and see.