Pitcher c. 1940

Frank Fumagalli made this drawing of a pitcher, in a dreamy green wash that makes the vessel glow like sea glass. I can imagine the quiet concentration required to render those spiraling lines so gently, so precisely, and yet, with such a light touch. It's like drawing air, or capturing the ghost of a form. The overall feeling is one of ethereality, like the pitcher is about to disappear, but the gentle lines hold it in place. I wonder if Fumagalli was thinking about glassblowing when he made this? About the way molten glass can be coaxed into these delicate shapes? It reminds me of Morandi's bottles, so still and quiet, yet full of presence. I love the way the simple colour adds to this sense of meditative calm. It suggests that there are endless ways of seeing, each filtered through the unique lens of an artist's eye.