Desk Box c. 1940

Leo Drozdoff made this watercolor drawing of a Desk Box, and although the piece is undated, we can still appreciate his hand and eye. It’s the kind of work where you can see the artist figuring things out as they go, not trying to be perfect, but instead letting the process lead the way. The painting looks like it was made with thin washes of color that bleed into one another in places. Look at how the carved details on the box's surface are suggested with simple lines and shadows, nothing too fussy. There's a certain honesty to the way Drozdoff captures the texture and the grain of the wood. The color palette is so muted, it's like looking at a memory of a wooden desk box rather than the real thing. This piece reminds me of other artists, like Agnes Martin, who were interested in the quiet beauty of everyday objects, in process and in the power of simplicity. It shows us that art doesn't always have to be loud or complicated to be meaningful.