Betty Lamp c. 1937

Gilbert Boese made this drawing of a Betty Lamp, probably with pencil and watercolor, and it’s like he’s trying to really understand how the thing is made. The color is mostly grey, but it is a very particular grey with some browns and blacks mixed in. He’s trying to show us what this lamp really looks like, right down to the little details. There’s a part of the lamp with this long handle, and it’s connected with these tiny circles. It makes me think about how things are put together, how one part connects to another. And around the edges of the lamp, you can see the lines are a little shaky, not perfect. This piece reminds me a little of some drawings by Jasper Johns, especially those where he is trying to render everyday objects. It is like Boese is having a conversation across time with Johns, just like artists do, always looking, always thinking, always responding.