Silver Coffee Pot 1935 - 1942

Michael Fenga made this drawing of a silver coffee pot sometime between 1855 and 1995 using graphite on paper. There’s a quiet stillness to this drawing. I can imagine Fenga, carefully observing every curve and contour of the pot. It's almost like he’s trying to capture its soul, you know? The graphite work is so delicate, the shading is so smooth, it’s like he’s caressing the paper, gently coaxing the form into being. I bet he was thinking about light, how it plays on the metal surface, creating these soft gradations from bright highlights to dark shadows. Each line, each tone, is a record of his looking, his feeling, his understanding. It reminds me of Morandi, who took humble everyday objects and turned them into profound meditations on seeing and being. Drawing like this is a form of embodied expression, which embraces uncertainty, leaving space for multiple interpretations.