Platter c. 1937

This drawing of a platter by Joseph Sudek feels quiet and contemplative. He uses graphite, watercolor, and touches of gold to depict this everyday object. I wonder what Sudek was thinking as he made this. Was he admiring its simple form, the way the light catches the curved surface? There’s something so humble about focusing on a plate, really looking at it, and immortalizing it in art. The drawing is delicately rendered. Look at those tiny gold flourishes around the rim, giving it a touch of elegance! It reminds me of Chardin’s still lifes, but with a Czech twist. Artists are constantly in dialogue with each other, across time, across place. This drawing is part of that ongoing conversation, an affirmation of the beauty in the ordinary.