Silver Caster c. 1936

Hester Duany made this drawing of a silver caster at an unknown date, with graphite on paper. Look at those soft, shaded forms, the patient strokes building up the illusion of three dimensions. I can almost feel the cool smoothness of the metal beneath my fingertips, and I imagine Duany feeling it too as she drew. She must have looked at that object for hours, turning it in the light, tracing its contours in her mind. Look at the way she’s captured the texture of the perforated top, that little crown of tiny holes. And the delicate rope detail around the bulbous midsection. You can see her attention to detail, her commitment to capturing the essence of this humble object. It makes me think about all the other artists who have drawn, painted, sculpted, and photographed everyday things, trying to understand the world through the act of making. Duany’s drawing is not just a representation of a silver caster; it's a record of a relationship, a quiet conversation between an artist and her subject.