Marble Top Table 1935 - 1942

George Nelson rendered this drawing of a Marble Top Table with graphite and colored pencil on paper, but the date of its making remains unknown. The shadow of this table, made with a graphite pencil, is a soft contrast with the rendering of the wooden table itself, whose curves feel supported by the gentle gradations of color. The artist seems to me, to be thinking through the form of the table in stages, working out the contours of the surface first, then the legs. I find this focus on the shape to be particularly evident in the legs, with their gentle curves which soften the overall geometry of the piece. It reminds me a bit of how Matisse would work, first blocking out the composition and then coming back to refine the forms in great detail. Ultimately, this drawing suggests that the practice of artmaking is an act of continuous conversation, built upon careful observation and the refining of form.