Lamp c. 1938

This is Isidore Steinberg’s drawing of a lamp, and it's rendered with graphite, or maybe charcoal, on paper. Look closely, and you can see the light as it catches and bends through the glass. I wonder what it was like for Steinberg to sit with this object, observing and translating its form onto paper. He probably considered how light defines its shape, how shadows give it volume. Look how he coaxed out the subtle gradations of tone to conjure the lamp’s transparency! It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his life painting the same bottles over and over. What is it about these everyday objects that captivates artists? What secrets do they hold? Perhaps, by looking closely, Steinberg was also looking inward, finding a quiet intensity in the act of seeing. Artists are always in conversation with one another, echoing and riffing on ideas across time. We bring our own experiences to bear and make something new, and make something that is meaningful.