Candle Lantern 1935 - 1942

Clyde L. Cheney rendered this "Candle Lantern" with watercolor and graphite. Imagine Cheney hunched over this lantern. Look at the surface, he’s almost caressing the cone with his brush. I bet he was fascinated by the light flickering through those tiny, punched-out holes. Think about the commitment to record every single one, and how the light is both absent and present. You can imagine the warm glow it casts in a dark room, a dance of light and shadow. It reminds me of Agnes Martin’s grids, but instead of calmness, this is about humble domesticity, utility, and light to see in the dark. Maybe Cheney saw something special in it, too. He’s not just copying, but reimagining. And isn't that what art is all about? Seeing something, feeling something, and sharing it with the world through the language of paint, pencil or whatever you have at hand.