Italian Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: Gallery 1 (Alternate) 1939

This drawing of the Italian Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries Gallery, was conceived by Eggers and Higgins, Architects. It's all about the subtle gradations in tone, shifting and shimmering across the surface like mist. Look at how the light catches the edges of the doorway, there’s this delicate sense of atmosphere, creating depth and form. The drawing is almost monochromatic, executed in graphite, yet within this limited palette, we find a range of tones that evoke the cool, cavernous atmosphere of the gallery it represents. I love the way that the use of graphite renders surfaces and textures. The very act of rubbing graphite onto paper is a kind of layering and building-up. In a way, it reminds me of the drawings of Agnes Martin, in her own quest for purity and simplicity. The more you look, the more you see.