Silver Spoon c. 1936

Erwin Schwabe made this drawing of a spoon with pencil on paper. It’s like he’s trying to figure out the spoon-ness of the spoon, almost like a blueprint. The surface is so smooth, like he's caressing the spoon with his pencil. You can almost feel the cool metal against your fingertips. And the reflections! It's not just about depicting a spoon, but about capturing light, and that play of light really brings it to life. Look at how he renders the curve of the bowl, the subtle shading that gives it volume. It’s all in service of making a drawing that you believe in. It makes me think of Morandi, how he was obsessed with the same few bottles, drawing them over and over. There's something so meditative about focusing on one object, trying to understand it completely, and maybe in the process, understanding something about yourself too. Art, after all, is a conversation, a never-ending exploration of ideas and forms.