Silver Teapot c. 1938

This is Leo Drozdoff's "Silver Teapot", and it's made with graphite and watercolour on paper. Just look at how the light catches and shifts across the body of the teapot, it really has that gleam of polished silver. You can see how Drozdoff built up these subtle tonal variations, using the graphite to create a really convincing sense of three-dimensionality. And it's not just the overall form, but the details, too. I'm drawn to the handle, how the dark wood gives a counterpoint to the cool sheen of the metal. Zooming in, the textures feel smooth and cool, which I think you can see just by the way the artist has used the medium. There's this careful observation in the piece which reminds me a bit of the still life work of Giorgio Morandi. It’s not just about rendering an object, but about capturing a kind of quiet contemplation. These are studies in seeing, in a way. There is an embrace of process and patience in this piece.