Bootjack c. 1936

Filippo Porreca created this drawing, Bootjack, in an unknown year, using what looks like graphite on paper. This is a drawing of a sculpture – Porreca has drawn the same figure three times in different states of finish, as though he is working out its form. Look at how one of the figures has been given just the barest of outlines, whereas another has more detail, with shading to create volume. The heavy shading around the figure suggests the weight and density of the object, giving it a tangible presence on the page. I can imagine Porreca moving around the sculpture, studying it from various angles, trying to capture its essence on paper. You see him grappling with form and perspective, almost like a sculptor working with clay. The multiple iterations remind me that the act of drawing is as much about seeing and understanding as it is about representation. It’s a dialogue between the artist, the object, and the medium, a dance of observation and interpretation.