Silver Teapot 1935 - 1942

Here's a drawing of a silver teapot by Clayton Braun. I imagine him in his studio, pencils scattered across his desk, the light catching the real teapot's polished surface. Look how Braun has rendered the smooth, reflective surfaces with delicate gradations of graphite. He's not just copying; he's feeling the form, understanding how light plays across its curves. It’s like he's caressing it with the pencil, discovering the volume and weight of the object. And then there are the smaller studies in the corners, as though Braun is searching for the perfect angle, the essential lines that capture the teapot's essence. It makes me think of Morandi, of course, with his still lives, always seeking that perfect composition. What is so great is that all artists engage in this silent conversation across time, picking up where others left off, adding their own voice to the chorus. It’s never really about the teapot, you know? It's about the looking, and the trying, and the failing, and the trying again to express something ineffable, something that can only be felt through the hand.