Shelf Clock c. 1938

Frank Wenger rendered this shelf clock, with pencil, watercolor, and graphite, on paper. I love the way this clock feels both solid and a little… imaginary. Is it the symmetry, the almost cartoonish rendering of the wood grain, or the fact that it’s a drawing of a clock and not the clock itself? It reminds me a bit of those old American folk paintings, but with a touch of something else, maybe a little architectural model-making thrown in. I can imagine Wenger sitting, carefully outlining each shape, adding layer upon layer of color to create the illusion of depth and texture. There's a real sense of care in the way the light plays across the surface. It's like he's not just documenting an object, but also capturing a certain feeling, or maybe a memory. The overall impression is one of quiet contemplation, a moment frozen in time, which, of course, is what clocks do. Artists are always looking to other artists, seeing what they did, responding, adding something new. It's like one big, long conversation that's still happening today.