Brooch c. 1937

This is Isidore Steinberg's painted brooch, though when it was made is a mystery. Looking at it, I'm struck by the patience it must have taken. I imagine Steinberg hunched over, squinting, trying to capture the light as it hits the cameo. The brown paint around the edge is smooth, like amber, while the dark silhouette in the center is more matte, more like a shadow. The artist is using the tools of painting—color, texture, surface—to make something that looks carved. What I love most about this brooch are the little sketches underneath. They're like a secret, showing us the artist's process. You have the bare bones of the brooch, a front and side view, all in ghostly outline. It makes me think about all the unseen labor that goes into art making, all the false starts and revisions. It’s like Steinberg is in conversation with the ancient craft of cameo-making, reinterpreting it through his own vision.