Carved Bird and Nest c. 1941

This is Adolph Beilin’s ‘Carved Bird and Nest,’ and it's hard not to be charmed by the obsessive rendering of woodgrain and feather. Beilin seems to be really enjoying the process of drawing, in a kind of dedicated, granular way. The muted browns and reds speak to the earthiness of his subject. Look closely, and you can see the intricate details of the fungus, and the chaotic weave of the bird's nest. The surface is built up with fine lines, and it's hard to tell what kind of tool made them, but maybe it was something very fine, like a needle. Notice how the textures become almost abstract in their complexity. And see how all this detail collapses into soft focus when you zoom out? It reminds me a little of the meticulousness of certain self-taught or visionary artists. Think of someone like Henry Darger, who also created entire worlds with a similar kind of dedication. Maybe art is a conversation, a way of seeing through someone else's eyes and finding our own vision in the process.