Pewter Tankard c. 1936

Henry Meyers made this drawing of a pewter tankard in pencil. The soft gradations of light and shadow give form to the object. I can imagine Meyers hunched over his table, squinting at the play of light on the cold metal, and meticulously working to recreate it on paper. What was he thinking as he rendered the subtle curves of the handle or the way the light glinted off the rim? Did he pause to take a swig from the tankard itself? The precision of the drawing— the geometric underpinnings and dimensional notes— remind me that art-making is a process of inquiry. There is a connection between observation and abstraction. Meyers reduces a tangible, three-dimensional object to a two-dimensional representation, yet something of its essence remains. It makes me think about the work of other artists who have explored similar themes of observation and representation. Artists are always learning from each other, in dialogue across time.