Camphene Lamp 1935 - 1942

Arsen Maralian made this drawing of a Camphene Lamp; its date is unknown, but it’s rendered with graphite on paper. Imagine him at his desk, hunched over this detailed study, his hand moving with precision to capture the lamp’s metallic sheen. I wonder if he ever paused, stepped back, and thought, "What am I really drawing here?" Is it just a lamp, or is it about volume, form, and the way light plays on the object? The subtle gradations achieved with graphite create a sense of depth and texture, almost as if you could reach out and feel the cool metal. It’s like a dance between observation and imagination, where the ordinary is made extraordinary through the artist’s attentive eye. And the smaller preliminary sketch in the upper left corner—it’s like he’s saying, “Here’s where I started, but look where I ended up.” Arsen, you captured something special!