Grandfather's Clock c. 1936

Ernest A. Towers Jr. made this study of clock parts with pencil and ink on paper. The precision of the drawing suggests a mind attuned to the intricacies of form and function, as well as the endless potential for variation within a single object. Look at the shell-like forms, the delicate curlicues, and the columnar shapes. Each element is rendered with careful attention to detail, yet there's also a sense of playfulness in the arrangement, a rhythmic quality. It's like Towers is trying to figure out all the different ways a clock can tick. The spareness of the ink lines against the paper makes me think of architectural drawings, technical, but with an artistic interpretation. I see a connection with the precision and repetition in Sol LeWitt’s conceptual art. Both artists share an interest in systematic exploration, reducing forms to their essentials and examining the possibilities of their arrangement.