Architectural Ornament 1935 - 1942

This drawing of an architectural ornament was made by Helen Alpiner Blumenstiel. It feels like Blumenstiel is trying to understand the ornament, describe it and maybe even reimagine it. I can imagine her looking closely, trying to get every detail right. Look at how she’s built the form with layers and layers of marks. There's a real tenderness in the way she renders the sculpture's textures. It’s like she’s feeling the weight and age of the stone with her pencil. She’s using those dry drawing materials to give it this almost ghostly presence. The bird feels caught between worlds, doesn't it? I love the way artists across time are always looking back, picking up on things, and carrying them forward in their own way. Painting is an ongoing conversation, a way of feeling our way through the world, one mark at a time.