Pewter Cup c. 1936

Eugene Barrell created this drawing of a pewter cup with graphite on paper. The composition is strikingly simple: a meticulously rendered cup centered within a square frame. The cup's form, built from horizontal bands, offers a study in tonal variation, as light subtly defines its metallic surface. Barrell's work can be viewed through the lens of structuralism, focusing on how the arrangement of parts—the cup's cylindrical sections, the base, and the lip—create a cohesive whole. Each element serves as a sign, contributing to our understanding of the cup not merely as an object but as a representation of form and function. The artist's choice to depict it in a flat, almost clinical manner, invites consideration of its essential qualities, stripping away any extraneous detail to focus on its platonic form. Ultimately, this drawing is an exercise in reduction. It prompts us to consider how simple forms carry meaning and how the artist's hand transforms the mundane into a subject worthy of careful attention.