Door Knocker c. 1936

Edgar L. Pearce made this drawing of a "Door Knocker" with graphite and watercolor on paper. Pearce’s approach here is meticulous, almost like a technical drawing, but then there's this burst of color in the green that outlines the oval shape, and a kind of stylized flower motif within. I love how the green is not just a flat color; you can see the marks, the way the artist layered the pigment to build up the hue, and the graphite pencil shading in the center. It's like he’s trying to capture not just the object, but the way light plays on its surface. The texture of the paper gives it a softness, a warmth that contrasts with the coldness of the metal he's depicting. The little flourish at the bottom reminds me of some art deco designs, maybe someone like Hannah Höch playing with ornamentation. Ultimately, it’s this balance, this dance between precision and expression, that makes the drawing so intriguing, like a conversation between the functional and the decorative.