Perforated Rosette 1938

Edward Unger made this ‘Perforated Rosette’ on paper, we think around 1938. It’s a brown study of a decorative rosette. Imagine Unger leaning over his desk, carefully rendering each petal and perforation. What’s cool here is that his observation feels so meticulous, yet free. I mean, look at the symmetry, so precise. Yet the lines also have a touch of wabi-sabi. There’s a certain imperfection in the drawing—a little wobble in the outer ring, a slight unevenness in the petals—that gives it life. I reckon that Unger, in his own way, was speaking to something deeper, something about beauty in the everyday. And hey, isn’t that what art’s all about? Painters are always having this conversation across time, inspiring each other. It’s this ongoing exchange of ideas that keeps the whole thing alive.