Cooper Plane c. 1938

This drawing of a Cooper Plane was made with graphite and watercolor by Edward Unger. It makes me think about craft. Just look at how the artist has picked out the wood grain on the plane's surface. It's like the object has been carefully excavated by Unger's hand, emerging slowly through layers of tone. I bet he was really scrutinizing that plane, thinking about it as he worked. The drawing hovers between object and idea; the real and the represented. The delicate graphite rendering of another object beneath is so simple! It's a great example of how an artist can distill something down to its essence. I'm reminded of Giorgio Morandi and his still life paintings, where a few simple objects become vehicles for quiet, contemplative meditation. Artists are always in conversation with each other, aren’t they? Passing on ideas and visual cues. Painting is just like that, you know? An ongoing exchange.