Bed c. 1941

Pearl Davis made this drawing of a bed, maybe without even using colour, so we can really focus on the form. She's drawn it in these tans and browns, it's an almost monochromatic scene, and the piece is all about getting the shape just right, letting the shape speak for itself. I love the way she uses the brown to give the bed its solidity, the way it grounds the piece. Look at the headboard, the way it’s been filled in entirely, to give it a weight. The whole thing is kind of floating in space, the bed doesn't have much shadow under it at all, so she uses the tonality to balance it out. If you compare it to the horizontal beams of the bed frame, they are a little more faded. It’s about what catches the eye and what fades into the background. You could say Davis’s drawing is a bit like Agnes Martin's work, but with a practical purpose. They're both about finding a kind of quiet beauty, but Davis is also showing you how to build something. Art is often a conversation, a way of seeing and responding to the world.