Shelf Clock c. 1940

Ferdinand Cartier made this drawing of a shelf clock with what looks like watercolor or gouache on paper. The palette is tight, mostly browns, umbers, and ochres. It's a study in how much you can do with a little, how you can wring endless color and texture from what seems so limited. The surface is matte, absorbent, almost chalky. It feels like a memory. Look at the way Cartier renders the wood grain. It’s so precise, so knowing, but softened by the nature of the medium. The effect is less about perfect representation and more about a kind of reverence for the object. There's a looseness that keeps it from being stiff or overly precious. It’s like Cartier is saying, "I see you, clock, in all your intricate detail, but I also see the poetry in your being.” This reminds me a little of the Shaker craftspeople. They were creating simple, functional objects but with such care and attention that they became sublime. It's a conversation between utility and something beyond.