Waist c. 1936

Sylvia Dezon made this drawing, 'Waist' using graphite and colored pencil. Here we see a dressmaker's sketch, the kind of drawing that’s all about shape and form, not trying to be too flashy or anything, just quietly getting the job done. The colours are subdued. It makes you wonder, what was she thinking as she was drawing? Probably about the cut of the sleeves, the way the fabric would fall, the nitty-gritty stuff. Look how the lines define the form. It's not just about what it looks like, but how it feels. There’s a kind of tenderness in the way she renders those curves, it reminds me of my own process, the way I fuss over a line until it feels just right. It’s a conversation, you know? And that’s the thing about art, whether it’s a sketch of a dress or an abstract painting. It’s all part of this ongoing dialogue, artists talking to each other across time and space.