Silver Sugar Bowl c. 1936

Clayton Braun sketched this silver sugar bowl with pencil on paper, with very fine detail. I can imagine him really focusing on it. Look at the way he renders the subtle gradations of light and shadow, it’s almost as if he is trying to capture the way light glints off the real object. Maybe he had one in front of him, or maybe it’s drawn from his memory. It’s amazing how with just a few pencil lines, Braun manages to suggest not just form, but also texture, and even the cool, smooth feel of the metal. I wonder what Braun was thinking about as he drew? Maybe he was thinking about the history of the object, or the person it was made for. Maybe he was just enjoying the process of drawing, letting his hand and eye work together to create something beautiful. The little drawing in the right corner is almost like a thought bubble, isn't it?