Silver Sugar Bowl 1935 - 1942

This ‘Silver Sugar Bowl’ was made by Michael Fenga using graphite and watercolor. Can you imagine standing there, trying to get that sheen of the metal just right? It’s not easy, and the way the light bounces off metal objects is a real challenge, a dance of light and shadow. I’m thinking about the artist making this, and wondering, what's the thought process when you're staring at an object, trying to get it down just so? It’s like you’re trying to reach into the thing itself, to understand not just how it looks, but what it *is*. Look at the way Fenga uses subtle shading, these delicate gradations that give shape and volume to the bowl. It’s not just about copying what’s there, it’s about feeling it, almost like sculpture. I love that! You know, painting is a conversation, artists talking to each other across time and space. We all learn from each other. And in the end, that's what art is all about, isn't it?