Giorgio Morandi (1890 – 1964), Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still life, depicting very simple objects like pots and vases, for example ‘Natura morta’ (1956) (source: Wikipedia).
Morandi seemed to have been fascinated by reflected light – he chose the most simple objects and followed the patterns of light and shade on their surfaces. I’m intrigued that Morandi continuously painted very similar objects – as if his idea of painting was that of doing research on patterns of reflected light. He extended this topic to other techniques, like the etching ‘Still life with five objects’ (1956)
But he also painted landscapes, which I find beautiful by their colours. Somehow they resemble his still lives, with their simple forms and their emphasis on tonal shadings.
Sources
Wikipedia, Giorgio Morandi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Morandi