Duncan Phyfe Sofa c. 1937

Edward L. Loper made this study of a Duncan Phyfe sofa with pencil and watercolor. The stripes of blue and cream conjure up a kind of hazy serenity. It has a calm vibe. I can imagine Loper in his studio, carefully observing every detail of the sofa, from the elegant curve of the armrest to the intricate pattern of the fabric, and then trying to capture it all on paper. It’s a very particular kind of looking, right? I feel like I can really see the hand of the artist here, a little bit like a Cy Twombly drawing. There’s this directness, this sense of touch. It's the kind of thing that makes you realize all artists are in conversation with each other, across time and space. We’re all just trying to make sense of the world, one brushstroke, or pencil line, at a time. It’s a quiet kind of revolution, don’t you think?