Suit Pattern c. 1938

Henry De Wolfe, who lived from 1855 to 1995, made this drawing called ‘Suit Pattern’ with pencil on paper, and what strikes me is the quiet, thoughtful process it represents. It's not about flashy colors or dramatic gestures, but more about line and measurement. The pencil work is delicate, almost ghostly. The artist is thinking through each piece of the suit. Looking closely, you can see faint erasures and corrections, these lines act as a kind of pentimento revealing the artist’s hand, mind and process. It shows how the suit takes shape through a process of trial and error. De Wolfe's drawing reminds me of the architectural sketches of someone like Agnes Martin, where the act of drawing is as much about contemplation as it is about representation. Ultimately, this piece invites us to appreciate the beauty in the functional, the artistic potential in the everyday.