Lantern 1935 - 1942

Edith Magnette made this pencil drawing of a lantern. What strikes me first is the patience it must have taken, building up the shading in layers, especially around the base of the lantern. Look at how the pencil is worked to create the effect of light passing through glass. The marks are fainter in some areas, heavier in others, giving a real sense of the texture of the object. The metal frame around the glass almost feels like a cage, doesn't it? Each vertical line is carefully placed, and you can see where Magnette has gone back over some of them to add depth. It’s almost an industrial drawing, with the bulbous glass held tight with iron. Magnette’s commitment to depicting the mundane as worthy of artistic attention reminds me of Giorgio Morandi's still life paintings. Like him, she finds beauty and interest in the everyday objects that surround us. This drawing invites us to look closely and appreciate the simple forms and textures that often go unnoticed.