Page of Proposal for Lighting Fixtures 1911

This is “Page of Proposal for Lighting Fixtures”, made by John S. Bradstreet and Company, with ink on paper. It looks like it was made as a catalog page, with options to choose from. I think the best part of this work is its precision. The drawings are very exacting, but at the same time have a certain looseness. You can see a lot of starts and stops, changes of direction, as though the ink is being coaxed into shape and form through many tiny adjustments. I'm drawn to the fixture in the "Stair hall" section, because the artist has given us a clear, precise outline, but there's also some smudging that suggests light and shadow. It's a nice contrast of techniques. The page reminds me of other artists who use technical drawing as a means of exploring visual space, like Hilla and Bernd Becher. I think art is like a conversation, where one artist picks up an idea from another and takes it in a new direction.