Pewter Porringer c. 1936

A. Zaidenberg made this drawing of a pewter porringer, a small, handled bowl, using graphite, watercolor, and colored pencil. I imagine the artist carefully studying the way light reflects off the metal surface, trying to capture its subtle gleam with delicate pencil strokes. Looking at this drawing, I think about the challenge of depicting a three-dimensional object on a flat surface, and how the artist has used shading to create a sense of depth and volume. I'm drawn to the softness of the graphite and the way the watercolor washes give the metal a subtle, luminous quality. There's something so satisfying about the precision and detail in this drawing. It reminds me of the work of other artists who have found beauty in the everyday, like Giorgio Morandi with his still lifes of bottles and jars. Artists are constantly in dialogue with one another, building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before them. And isn’t drawing and painting just about that ongoing process of seeing and responding, learning from each other and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible?