Chandelier c. 1937

Mildred Ford, who lived from 1855 to 1995, made this drawing of a chandelier with pencil on paper. I love the flat, precise lines, and how they almost feel like you could construct this thing yourself. The top view mirrors the chandelier in cross section, so simple, almost a child's drawing in its basic shapes. But look closer. It's not naive. Ford made every decision about line, form, and space deliberately. It seems as though she has thought about this drawing in a serious way, measuring out the lines, and deciding what elements to keep or to take away. Each of these choices tells us a little about how Ford saw the world. It's a way of thinking, and not just seeing, a different way of experiencing the world through line and space. This drawing reminds me of Agnes Martin, who also looked at the world through the lens of line, and whose work is also much more than simply lines on a page.