Patio Door 

Georgia O'Keeffe made this pencil drawing, "Patio Door," and it's interesting to consider the choice of this humble medium for such an evocative composition. See how the graphite is layered to create subtly shifting planes of light and shadow. O'Keeffe coaxes a full range of tones from the pencil, from the palest grays to nearly black. The texture of the paper is also important, lending a tactile quality to the image. You can see the physical labor involved in gradually building up the density of the graphite. The drawing's austerity resonates with O'Keeffe's broader artistic project. The simple materials and reduction of form allow us to focus on the essential elements of perception and representation. It's a reminder that profound statements can be made with the most basic of tools. This artwork blurs the lines between the industrial production of pencils and the hand-made quality of drawing.