Minneapolis Museum c. 1930 - 1931

William Channing Whitney made this watercolour and graphite drawing of Minneapolis Museum. It's an architectural drawing, yes, but it’s also a painting—a little world held together by careful lines and muted colors. Imagine Whitney hunched over his desk, meticulously mapping out the ceiling, cornice, and column. Did he feel like an artist or an engineer? Maybe both. There's such attention to detail, but look at the fluidity of the watercolor washes. The red column, softened by the bleeding paint, gives it an almost romantic, dreamlike quality. I can relate, really, to the way the drawing is both controlled and free, structured and atmospheric. It’s about the push and pull between precision and intuition, something I think about a lot in my own work. Every mark, every decision, a little step in a dance between intention and chance.