Whale Oil Lamp c. 1940

George Yanosko made this drawing of a whale oil lamp with pencil and watercolor. I like how he includes diagrams, almost like he’s reverse-engineering the lamp, taking it apart in his mind. There’s something intimate about studying an object this closely, figuring out how it ticks. It's more than just representation; it’s a form of understanding, a kind of love. I can imagine him, pencil in hand, his brow furrowed in concentration, thinking about how light and oil work together. It reminds me of some technical drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. I guess artists have always been fascinated by the way things are made; we want to know how things work, whether it’s a lamp or a human heart. Yanosko isn’t just showing us the lamp; he’s sharing a journey of discovery, a conversation across time with other makers, other thinkers.