Glass c. 1936

Nicholas Amantea made this drawing called 'Glass' at an unknown date using graphite and colored pencil on paper. The way Amantea has used the pencil is so tender. The soft blues and grays create a real sense of depth, even though the glass itself is almost translucent. There's a lot of detail packed in, like those tiny vertical lines that make up the base. It’s funny, isn’t it, how something as simple as a glass can become a world of its own when you really look at it? The texture, the way the light seems to pass right through it... you can almost feel the coolness of the glass. When I look at the cross-hatched area of the glass, I see a lot of back and forth and some indecision, which for me really brings the image to life. This piece reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi. Both artists share a quiet intensity and a knack for finding beauty in the everyday. And that's what art's all about, right? Not so much answers, but starting conversations.