Silver Teapot c. 1938

Leo Drozdoff made this silvery still life drawing of a teapot, and looking at it, I imagine him really puzzling over how to capture the reflective surface of the metal. He’s working with graphite and the piece has a very soft, almost blurry feel, like a memory. You can see the way he’s smudged and blended the graphite to build up the form and capture the subtle gradations of light. I can feel him willing the teapot into existence, coaxing its shape from the paper through careful observation and layering. I like the graphic quality of the handle, the way the dark block of the handle contrasts to the more subtle shading of the teapot itself. You know, making a painting or drawing is about exploring vision, and this one feels like Drozdoff is pushing himself to really look, and really see.