Nutcracker c. 1937

Frank McEntee made this drawing of two bird-shaped nutcrackers sometime in the 20th century with what looks like watercolor. It’s a drawing of a thing, right? But it’s also about drawing itself, about how marks can describe an object, and maybe even make it feel real. Look at the bird on the left. The cross hatching on its body gives it volume, but the flat, pale background keeps it in its place. The artist is really investigating, using tone and shade to suggest the different surfaces, the texture of the metal, and the way light hits it. I’m drawn to the area where the lever meets the body – there’s this wonderful build up of dark pigment, a shadow that gives the object weight and anchors it to the ground. McEntee’s got a bit of Joseph Cornell in him, I think. Both artists elevate the humble object, inviting us to consider the beauty and strangeness of everyday things. It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, look at this! Isn’t it weird? Isn’t it great?”