Pewter Tankard c. 1936

Henry Meyer's drew this pewter tankard, but we don't know exactly when or with what. I can imagine him, though, sitting at his desk with the tankard in front of him, carefully observing every detail. The drawing itself is a kind of dance between precision and something else, something in the seeing. Look closely, and you notice the soft gradations of tone, the way the light seems to glide across the surface of the metal. The texture feels smooth, cool, and solid, like you could reach out and wrap your hand around it. It feels like Meyer's had a real sympathy for this object. You know, when you're drawing something like this, you're not just copying what you see; you're trying to understand it, to feel its essence. And that’s what I think Henry did. Artists are always having a conversation, riffing off each other. It's about showing different ways of thinking and experiencing the world.