Lamp Bracket c. 1942

This "Lamp Bracket" was made by John H. Tercuzzi, we don't know exactly when, and I imagine, it was probably made with ink and watercolor. It feels like a really descriptive diagram, but also kind of ornamental and loving. The colors in this piece, these ambers and golds, describe the material of the lamp so well, giving it a sort of luminous depth. The drawing has a kind of industrial beauty, almost like it's an architectural rendering. Look at the way Tercuzzi renders the screw and hinge connecting the lamp to the wall. The artist is making the function ornamental, by focusing on how all the parts go together and constructing the whole. It reminds me of some of the work of Charles Demuth, with his interest in industrial forms and simple elegance. Tercuzzi’s piece, like Demuth’s, embraces the beauty of everyday objects, inviting us to see the world through a unique lens. In the end, art is an ongoing dialogue, a conversation between artists and ideas across time.