Three Legged Candlestick c. 1938

This delicate drawing of a Three Legged Candlestick was made by William Schmidt, who lived a long life, dying in 1995. I love the twisted metal, the light, almost tentative, touch of the graphite. I can imagine Schmidt's hand carefully, thoughtfully, tracing the form of the candlestick, teasing out the subtle curves and angles. What was he thinking about as he drew? Was he simply interested in representation, or was he exploring the candlestick as a form, a kind of sculptural object? I’ve always liked the way that Schmidt’s drawing captures the essence of the object, not just its appearance, but its weight, balance, and texture. It makes you wonder what the candlestick looked like in real life. I think about the many hands that have shaped our visual world, and how we build on each other's work across time. Schmidt’s drawing is a meditation on form, light, and shadow. And, just as a painter uses layers of paint to build depth and texture, Schmidt used graphite to create a drawing that feels both solid and ethereal.