Compote 1935 - 1942

This is Michael Fenga's "Compote", a drawing made with graphite on paper. The evenness of the graphite is pretty amazing! It suggests Fenga knew that artmaking is a slow, careful process, not a race. The drawing's soft grays make the compote look like it's glowing. You can almost feel the light reflecting off the glass. The texture is smooth, but you can still see every detail, like the little curves and edges of the bowl. It’s these small details that make the work so impressive. Look at the base. See how the lines curve and swirl? That's not just drawing, that's feeling. Fenga's precision reminds me a little of Vija Celmins, who also had a way of making everyday objects seem extraordinary. Like her work, Fenga’s drawing shows how much we can see when we really look. And maybe, that's what art is all about: seeing things in a new way.