Drop Leaf Table c. 1941

Dorothea Farrington made this drawing of a drop leaf table at an undetermined date. I wonder what kind of pencil she used, and how long it took? See how the table’s surface is rendered with such care, each stroke defining the grain of the wood. I wonder if she owned this table or saw it in a museum. The artist would have stood or sat and observed for a long time, noticing the interplay of light and shadow, trying to capture the essence of this object. It must have been an absorbing process! The choice of a reddish brown pigment speaks to the warmth and familiarity of the wood. It's not a statement piece, like some kinda crazy Picasso thing. It’s more like a love letter to an object, an ode to domesticity. Perhaps it's an echo of earlier masters who found beauty in the everyday. Maybe Farrington had her own version of Morandi's bottles or Chardin's kitchenware, finding endless inspiration in this table.