Pewter Creamer 1935 - 1942

Samuel O. Klein made this drawing of a pewter creamer, we don't know exactly when, but it shimmers with the kind of attention we might give to something precious. It’s all in shades of gray, rendered with careful shading to give the illusion of depth and sheen. The drawing is all about process, I think. The artist isn’t hiding a thing; we can see every mark, every gradation. Look at how he’s built up the form of the creamer with these gentle, almost hesitant lines, as if feeling his way around the object. It’s quiet, meditative, this drawing. It reminds me of some of Giorgio Morandi's still lifes, where everyday objects become monumental through the sheer act of looking and representing. There’s a kind of humble beauty here, a celebration of the ordinary, transformed by the artist’s gaze. Art like this reminds me that everything contains wonder, if we only take the time to see it.