Camphene Lamp 1935 - 1942

Arsen Maralian made this drawing of a Camphene Lamp using graphite on paper. It's like he’s thinking through this object, this lamp, bit by bit. The graphite is laid down so smoothly, it’s almost metallic, mimicking the lamp itself. See how he’s built up the tones, those soft gradations giving shape and weight to the form? There's a real care in the handling of the material, a deep attention to its inherent qualities. Look at the base, the way it flares out and grounds the lamp. And then, that delicate neck, leading up to the body, it is all so carefully considered. There’s a smaller drawing in the upper-left corner of the whole object, like he’s testing it out, figuring out the puzzle. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi and his still life paintings. Both artists share that quiet contemplation, that gentle probing into the essence of ordinary things. With Maralian, as with Morandi, the magic is in the looking.