Drawing for the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Axonometric Color Study for Broadway and Quincy Street Elevations c. 20th century

Curator: Here we have James Stirling's "Drawing for the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Axonometric Color Study for Broadway and Quincy Street Elevations." Editor: It strikes me as a study in contrasts; the rigidity of the architectural form versus the softness of the colored pencil. Curator: Indeed. Note the deliberate use of parallel lines. This technique flattens the image, emphasizing its graphic quality rather than spatial depth. Editor: Yet, the brickwork at the base, that raw material, roots it in a physical reality. Was this structure ever realized as drawn? Curator: Yes, although details shifted during construction. Stirling was interested in the interplay between drawing and making, how materials inform the ultimate form. Editor: The hand of the maker is palpable, isn’t it? A blueprint infused with artistic interpretation. Curator: Precisely. It’s a reminder that even the most functional designs emerge from a creative process. Editor: The colored pencil really softens what could have been a very hard perspective, that gives it a certain amount of accessibility.