Iron Gate and Fence c. 1936

Arelia Arbo made this drawing of an iron gate and fence with pencil and watercolor washes on paper. It’s like she’s trying to figure out how to actually make this thing out of iron, thinking through the planes of space. I can imagine Arbo carefully measuring and sketching, then adding subtle shades of gray to define each plane. There is a kind of intimacy that comes through in her process. The floral ornaments feel like an effort to soften the harsh, rigid lines of the metalwork. What was she thinking as she made it? It's not just a technical drawing, it has a kind of tenderness, or a memory of nature. I admire how Arbo is able to transform something so functional and industrial into something quite beautiful. You get a sense of the history of painting here, of observation, craft, and also of the tradition of representing architecture as a symbolic, emotional space.