Lamp 1935 - 1942

Sara Garfinkel made this drawing of a lamp with what looks like soft graphite on paper. You can see the way the graphite creates this luminous, almost silvery surface, and the marks, they’re so gentle, so tender! There's this careful attention to detail, especially where the light catches the curves of the lamp. Notice how the artist uses the side of the graphite to create tone, this adds depth to the drawing. I love how the softness of the graphite contrasts with the hard lines of the lamp's form, it gives the object a sort of dreamy quality. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's drawings, in that they're so quiet and unassuming, but when you really look, there’s a whole world of feeling in them. You get the sense of looking at a dear object, and also a glimpse into the way Sara Garfinkel saw the world. For Garfinkel, art isn't about answers but the possibilities within perception.