Lamp c. 1936

Mario De Ferrante drew this lamp, it seems, with graphite on paper. I look at the image, and I imagine De Ferrante really looking, taking his time, seeing the object, and then drawing it. The tone is mid-value. It is neither dark nor light, but something in between. There are darker tones and lighter tones, and some kind of subtle shading. I like the quietness of it, like a still life of an object, in which the artist is exploring the shapes, the forms, and the way that light falls on the surface. He is really interested in this object, you know? I think that's a beautiful thing. De Ferrante probably considered the tradition of drawing and the relationship between seeing and rendering. He was part of a larger conversation about art-making. Each artist asks questions of drawing itself and offers their own contribution to this ongoing process. It's more than just representation. It is an inquiry.