Eroded Conch Shell 1947

Ralston Crawford made this drawing of an Eroded Conch Shell in 1947. Look at the marks he made with ink on paper! It's all hatching and cross-hatching, but it makes the shell look like it has a three-dimensional form. I can imagine Crawford hunched over a table, turning the shell this way and that, drawing the light and shadows. It seems like he wants to show us everything he sees. What I love about the drawing is how descriptive and abstract it is at the same time. The abstract marks don't exactly describe a shell. They're more like a feeling. The tight network of lines in ink makes the shell's interior look dark and cool. Other artists like Dürer used hatching, but Crawford puts his own spin on it. His drawing style feels very modern. Artists are always talking to each other, you know? It's like we're all in a big conversation across time.