Neck Buckle 1935 - 1942

Kalamian Walton made this neck buckle with what looks like graphite or colored pencil, on paper. Walton’s drawing isolates and elevates an otherwise overlooked, utilitarian object. The artist has rendered the buckle in three different views: from the top, front, and side. I love that the rendering is not quite photorealistic. The ‘beads’ bordering the buckle have an irregular quality, which lends a tactile, handmade quality to the image. The color palette is muted and restrained: a blue so faint it's almost grey, paired with a tarnished gold. The subtle coloring and delicate linework suggest an air of nostalgia, inviting you to reflect on the passage of time, and to consider the stories and histories embedded within everyday objects. Like the work of Giorgio Morandi, Walton’s drawings elevate mundane objects into poignant studies of form, light, and shadow.