Waste Jar c. 1937

This drawing is by Joseph Sudek and depicts a waste jar. It's rendered in graphite, I think, with incredible subtlety. The jar emerges from the paper through delicate gradations of tone, and the absence of strident marks gives it a quiet presence. It's like he's breathing life into the object. I love how Sudek focuses on the unassuming, the everyday. It reminds me that art doesn't always have to shout; sometimes, the softest whisper is the most profound. Looking at the way the light plays across the jar's surface, you can almost feel the coolness of the ceramic. And that slight asymmetry, the way it leans ever so slightly, gives it a real sense of personality. It's a bit like Morandi, who turned simple bottles into portraits. It also recalls the way Giorgio de Chirico elevated still life to something iconic, something bordering on the surreal.