Under Bodice 1935 - 1942

Andrew Topolosky made this drawing called 'Under Bodice', with graphite and watercolor washes. The thing about clothing, right, is that it’s so close to the body. I find myself imagining Andrew, bending over this delicate thing, maybe in dim light, trying to capture how the lace falls just so. You can almost feel the softness of the fabric. I wonder, was he thinking about the person who wore it? Was it for someone he knew? Or was he just drawn to the challenge of capturing its form, the way the light catches the lace? The stains could be anything, you know? Coffee? Paint? Or even blood. Artists often draw what’s around them, things they find beautiful or interesting. It’s like they’re trying to understand the world by drawing it, bit by bit. We learn to see what they see. We are having a conversation with them, across time.