Goblet c. 1937

Charles Garjian made this Goblet drawing, sometime between 1855 and 1995, with graphite on paper. It’s a beautifully rendered object, but it is also so much more than that. Garjian builds up the form with delicate strokes, there’s a real attention to detail here. The way the light falls on the glass, for example, is subtle and effective. I really admire the almost clinical approach; the precise lines, and the clarity of form. It's like a diagram or blueprint, but it is also so delicate. Look at how the details on the glass have been added, faint lines scratched on to the surface to create a very convincing sense of depth and volume. And then, in the upper right corner, a little flourish! A bird perched on a stem. It reminds me of Morandi and his bottles, quiet and considered, but also somehow bursting with life. Art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time.