Composition with teapot 1901

Achille D'Orsi made this painting of a teapot sometime in his life; maybe he used oil on canvas, but who knows? I like to think about what was in the air when he painted this—what he was thinking and how he wanted to approach the canvas. You can see the curtain on the right. It drapes down in this heavy way, creating all these dark folds and shadows. It's a really dynamic shape. And then the light is on the teapot, which feels so central. It's like the whole painting is organized around it. When you look closely, you can see the textures of the paint. It's thick in some parts and really thin in others, which gives the painting this kind of energy. The colors feel warm and rich, especially the reds and golds. It feels like D’Orsi was really thinking about how light and color interact and how they could bring out the objects. Painting is like a conversation between artists across time. Each one builds on what came before, and then adds something new. It's this ongoing dialogue. And it's all about trying to capture something real, something that feels true.