Pewter Creamer 1935 - 1942

Samuel O. Klein made this drawing of a pewter creamer with graphite on paper. Look at the soft gradations of gray he coaxes from his pencil. The way he captures light as it spills across the reflective metal, giving volume to the object on a flat plane. I imagine him carefully observing every curve and contour, translating three dimensions onto paper. You can see the hand of the artist in each delicate line. I wonder if Klein was interested in the tension between representation and abstraction. Or how the mundane can become extraordinary when filtered through an artist’s eye. I think of Morandi and his still life paintings. Both artists transform everyday objects into something timeless and profound. Each offering us a new way of seeing the world around us. This unassuming drawing becomes a meditation on form, light, and the quiet beauty of everyday objects.