Corner Cupboard c. 1941

Byron Dingman made this drawing of a corner cupboard, we don't know exactly when, using watercolour. The palette is muted and warm, focused around the natural wood tones of the cupboard itself. It really speaks to the idea that artmaking is a process of discovery. Look closely and you’ll notice the textures, the subtle gradations of color, and the way light plays across the surface. The paint is applied in thin, transparent layers, allowing the paper to show through. See how the artist captures the grain of the wood with delicate brushstrokes, suggesting the texture and form of the object? It's like Dingman is building the image from the inside out. Notice the way the light hits the upper part of the cupboard, and how the lower part of the construction falls into shadow. It's an interesting echo of the way Morandi approaches painting still lives, taking everyday objects and turning them into something that feels both familiar and strange. Art is like that, an ongoing conversation.