Washstand 1935 - 1942

This drawing of a washstand, was made by an anonymous artist, and you can really see how carefully they have rendered the different textures and surfaces of the wood. I imagine the artist working on this, perhaps hunched over a table, really observing the play of light on the wood grain. Look at the way they've described the fluted doors, each little line so precise, it's almost meditative, isn't it? The warm, reddish-browns and the subtle shadows really give it depth. I think they were probably thinking a lot about light and surface, and how to make a flat drawing feel three-dimensional. This drawing reminds me a bit of the work of furniture makers and their detailed design drawings, where every little detail matters. You see this kind of precision in technical drawings but there is something more sensual about this one. It is almost as if the artist wanted to capture not just the object but also something about what it feels like to touch it. It is just gorgeous.