Iris c. 20th century

Herbert G. French made this lovely drawing, titled Iris, with graphite on paper. The soft, smudgy quality of the graphite gives the whole image an ethereal feel, like a memory or a dream. It's all about process, you can sense the artist building up the image bit by bit, layer upon layer. The texture of the paper itself is allowed to show through, adding to that sense of fragility. I'm drawn to the way the artist has handled the irises themselves, they're not sharply defined, but rather suggested with a few deft strokes. It's as if the artist is more interested in capturing the essence of the flower rather than its literal form. Looking at this piece reminds me a little of Odilon Redon's symbolist drawings, the way he used charcoal to create these dreamy, otherworldly images. Ultimately, this is a drawing that invites you to slow down, to get lost in its delicate beauty, and to appreciate the magic that can happen when an artist lets the process guide them.