Hinge c. 1939

Alexander Berth made this drawing of a hinge with what looks like pencil on paper. The thing that grabs me here is the linear quality, the way the artist describes the object with such clarity, but also with a kind of tender touch. It’s a hinge, but it's also a line traveling across the page, a little journey. Look at the end of the hinge—it becomes a snake. The whole drawing feels like a meditation on edges, on how one thing becomes another. The texture is smooth, almost polished, which gives the object an otherworldly feel. I love how the subtle shading gives it weight, but the lightness of the touch keeps it floating. It makes me think of Agnes Martin, who also found the sublime in the simple line. Art is like a conversation across time, Berth whispers to Martin, and we get to listen in.