Trivet 1935 - 1942

This drawing of a trivet was made by Filippo Porreca, probably with graphite on paper. Porreca's linear strokes are tentative, like he's feeling around the object and trying to understand how it exists in space, like a blind person tracing the edges of an object. And in this way, the artist is also feeling around with the image of it. He's re-creating it on the page as well as in his mind's eye. It's a subtle drawing. When I look at it, I imagine the artist trying to capture all the details and proportions just right, like a puzzle he needs to solve through drawing. It's a study, an exercise in seeing and rendering, but it’s also an act of care. The artist has been looking, thinking, and feeling what it might be like to design, fabricate, and use this trivet.