Cabinet c. 1953

Isadore Goldberg made this drawing of a cabinet at some point in his long life. The way Goldberg lays down color here is kind of amazing – a wash, really, of blues, browns, and grays that makes the whole thing feel aged, like it's been sitting in an attic for decades. There's a real gentleness to how he approaches his subject, letting the form emerge gradually from the paper. Look at the floral patterns carved into the cabinet doors, how they seem to bloom out of the wood. The details aren't precise, but that’s the charm. It’s like Goldberg isn’t just showing us a cabinet, but an idea of a cabinet, something that exists in memory or imagination. The overall effect is less about documentation and more about capturing the essence of something familiar and loved. I'm reminded of outsider artists like Bill Traylor, who also found beauty in the everyday and transformed it into something deeply personal and resonant.