Bicycle c. 1937

Marjorie Lee made this drawing of a bicycle, we don't know when, and with what - possibly watercolor and pencil. Look at the detail in the rendering of the gears and spokes, like a technical diagram but with the warmth of something handmade. The colors are muted, almost sepia-toned, giving it a vintage feel. Notice how the thin lines create the form of the bicycle, and how the artist captured the play of light and shadow on the different surfaces. There's a lovely tension between precision and looseness in this piece. The lines aren’t perfectly straight, and the colors bleed a little, which gives the bicycle a sense of movement and energy. It puts me in mind of Charles Sheeler's paintings of machinery, but with a more intimate touch, as if Lee had a real affection for this particular bicycle. Art is like a visual conversation across time, each artist adding their own perspective.