Grease Lamp c. 1936

Janet Riza made this drawing of a Grease Lamp using graphite on paper. The grayscale palette is almost meditative, inviting a focus on form and light. I imagine Riza, her hand moving with thoughtful precision, building up layers of graphite to capture the subtle curves and hollows of this lamp. You know, the kind of focus that blurs the line between seeing and feeling. Looking at the handle—that sturdy, confident arc—I wonder if Riza was thinking about functionality as much as aesthetics. Was she considering the weight of the lamp in someone’s hand, the warmth it might cast in a dark room? Or, perhaps, the cultural narratives this object carries. The upper part is pretty cool too, in a close-up inset. It reminds me of the way artists often riff on historical forms, imbuing them with personal meaning. It reminds me of Morandi. Art is this ongoing exchange, a conversation across time. We all borrow, steal, and transform, lighting up old forms with new ideas.