Silver Sugar Bowl c. 1936

Hester Duany made this drawing of a silver sugar bowl, but we don't know exactly when, or what it was made for. Look at the way the surface is built up with light and shadow, almost like a photograph in soft focus. I can imagine Duany, carefully observing, moving her pencil gently to capture the luster of the metal. There's a lovely, almost diagrammatic quality with the additional sketches of the floral design and the bowl's outline. Did you see it there on the right? I wonder if she was thinking about how light plays on the surface. Maybe she was interested in the play between representation and abstraction, or perhaps it was just a study for a silversmith. Whatever her intentions, she’s part of an ongoing conversation between artists. We are always building upon what came before, repurposing, re-evaluating, and reimagining. I think of Agnes Martin's drawings a lot looking at this. We bring our own experiences, perspectives, and questions, allowing for endless interpretations.