Wardrobe c. 1937

This is Katharine Morris’s drawing of a wardrobe, likely made with pencil and watercolor. Morris’s mark-making is precise, focused on depicting a functional object, but within that constraint, she coaxes out a sense of playfulness and freedom. The texture is smooth, the colors muted, with tans and browns giving the illusion of natural wood. Look at the doors of the wardrobe: see how each plane of wood is subtly different? Morris captures the way light reflects and dances on a surface. It’s not just about replicating what she sees, it's about creating the feeling of light and form. There’s a clarity to this piece which reminds me of Agnes Martin. Like Martin, Morris embraces a kind of reduction, distilling an object down to its essence, revealing an underlying beauty in simplicity and form. Art can be about what it shows and what it hides, leaving space for imagination and possibility.