Fruit Piece c. 1925

Pamela Bianco made this Fruit Piece using ink on paper. It’s like she built the whole composition out of tiny little dots, a sea of stipples that create shapes, shadows, and even the illusion of light. You can feel the artist’s hand, patiently, methodically, covering the surface. Check out how the dots bunch together to form the deep shadows behind the fruit, and then spread out, becoming lighter, airier, as they define the folds of the tablecloth. The texture is amazing, almost like a photograph, but one that’s been translated into a new, handmade language. Notice how she uses denser areas of stippling to create a sense of volume, making the fruit look almost touchable. It reminds me a little of Seurat’s pointillism, but with a touch of something else, a kind of quiet, personal intimacy. Like she’s sharing a secret with you, one dot at a time. Art, after all, is just a conversation with other artists, living or dead, about ways of seeing.