Jar c. 1940

This careful drawing of a jar was made by Alvin Shiren, who lived from 1855 to 1995. Look at the way Shiren used gradations of tone to suggest the curved form, from dark shadows to luminous highlights. I can imagine him studying it closely, thinking about the way light moves across the surface. The green-grey tones suggest a quiet mood. Maybe Shiren was drawn to the jar’s simple, functional shape, its humble presence. Did he want to elevate the everyday into something special? There’s a calmness to this image, a steadiness. You can feel the artist's careful attention in every stroke. The drawing is a kind of meditation, not unlike the still life paintings of Morandi, where the shapes of bottles become a vehicle for investigating tone, form, and space. What can an artist do to make a simple jar more interesting? The conversations between artists never end...