Silver Tankard 1935 - 1942

Here's a drawing of a silver tankard, made on paper with graphite and colored pencil by an anonymous artist. There’s such loving attention to the tonal qualities of the silver, that shimmering surface! The graphite marks are dense, packed in tightly in some areas and faded out in others to create a sense of rounded form. The artist uses delicate strokes of colored pencil to emphasize the metallic sheen and shadows, but there’s also a sense of flatness - not a complete illusion of depth, which is a bit like how memory works, right? Notice the inscription on the side – "Warrie! from his Gran, Dec. 25, 1853." I love how this gives the image a personal, intimate quality, turning a simple drawing of an object into a little story. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter’s domestic interiors – quiet, unassuming, but full of feeling. Ultimately, this drawing makes me think about the conversations we have with the past through objects, and how art helps us to see those connections.