Hand Warmer c. 1936

Henry Meyers made this drawing of a hand warmer, with graphite, on paper. You know, looking at these lines, I imagine Meyers really thinking about how things fit together—like a puzzle, maybe. The hand warmer itself is so simple, but then you see the drawing etched on it, and it’s this whole world opening up. I wonder what Meyers was thinking about when he drew this. Maybe he was thinking about the sailors out on the water, braving the waves. It is a beautiful and rather evocative image. You can almost feel the rocking of the boat. It reminds me of the way other artists, like Winslow Homer, capture the sea. But here, it’s different, more intimate. Like Meyers is sharing a secret with you. It’s like all these artists are talking to each other, across time, about what it means to be human, to feel the world around you.