Candlestick c. 1936

John Dana made this drawing of a candlestick sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. I'm wondering what John Dana was thinking when he chose to represent this object. The drawing is so precise. You can almost feel the cool smoothness of the glass. I can imagine him squinting, carefully observing the play of light on its surface, the subtle gradations of tone. I'm thinking about the way the base flares out, catching the light, reflecting and refracting it in a mesmerizing display. There are so many fine lines. He’s making marks, one next to the other, to create an illusion of form and volume. There is a dialogue of light and shadow, absence and presence. He must have really cared about that candlestick. The act of looking, of really seeing, can be an act of love, I think.