Railing, Detail of c. 1939

George E. Rhone made this drawing of a railing detail, date unknown, using what looks like pencil and watercolor on paper. I'm interested in the kind of seeing involved in a piece like this. It feels so intimate, looking up close at something that is usually part of a background. The texture of the paper is visible through the washes of color, giving the image a soft, almost dreamlike quality. The artist’s hand is very present in the slightly uneven lines and the way the blue paint bleeds into the wood grain, creating a sense of depth and dimension. The way the artist has used the blues reminds me of the work of someone like Fairfield Porter. There's a similar interest in light and atmosphere, and in capturing the everyday beauty of the world around us. For me art is about the conversations and exchanges between artists across time. It is about seeing the world in new and unexpected ways.