Cupboard c. 1953

Edward Jewett made this drawing of a cupboard with graphite and watercolor. It’s a fairly straightforward image of a simple piece of furniture, but look closer, and you begin to see the appeal. I find myself wondering about the original cupboard: it was 48 inches high, 32 inches wide, and 20 inches deep. I can imagine Edward, squinting slightly, making his marks and thinking about the object and how to represent it using the language of drawing and painting. I think of all the early to mid-century American artists like Edward Hopper who created these seemingly neutral images, and how they have, over time, become quite moving and iconic. The details of the wood grain, the subtle shadows, and the way the light hits the surface makes this more than just a drawing of a cupboard. It is an intimate record of a bygone era. I suppose all art says something about its own time.