Trunk c. 1938

Regina Henderer made this drawing of a trunk; it's a very careful rendering with watercolor, all delicate washes and light touches. You can see how the artist built up the image in layers. It reminds me of printmaking, where you slowly add colors to achieve the final image. I like how Henderer handles the play of light and shadow on the trunk. See how the highlights give a sense of volume? There's a deep kind of looking going on here. It's about really seeing the thing in front of you, and translating it, bit by bit, into color and tone. Each tiny mark is a testament to a prolonged engagement with the object. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his career painting the same bottles over and over again. Is this an ongoing conversation? The way the artist is looking at this, it is about more than just the object: it’s a way of seeing.