Pa. German Pie Dish c. 1940

This is Charlotte Angus's drawing of a Pa. German Pie Dish. There's no date, but the folksy subject matter gives it a timeless quality. I love the way she's approached the decoration on the plate, that central motif of stylised flowers. You can see the artist is really thinking about the physicality of the object; the drawing isn't just a flat representation, but has a real sense of depth. The colors are muted and earthy, a limited palette of browns, creams, and greens that evoke the handmade quality of the original pie dish. Look at the way the artist has rendered the rim of the plate. The shadow it casts gives it a real three-dimensionality. For me, the drawing has something of the quality of the work of the Pattern and Decoration movement artists like Joyce Kozloff, but here it is stripped down to its bare essentials. It reminds me of the ongoing conversation about the relationship between art and craft, and how these categories can blur. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is all about looking and seeing, and that there's always more to discover if we take the time to really engage with an artwork.