Cast Ornament c. 1941

Henry Zwysen made this drawing of cast ornament sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. What strikes me about it is the way he uses line to describe form; it’s almost like he’s building the object stroke by stroke, allowing the accumulation of marks to suggest depth and shadow. Look at the cupid in the center – the careful hatching on its body creates a sense of volume, while the surrounding swirls and curlicues seem to float in space, unburdened by gravity. The texture of the paper itself adds to the overall effect, giving the drawing a slightly grainy, almost ethereal quality. Zwysen emphasizes the materiality of his medium, reminding us that this is not just a representation of an object, but an object in itself. This drawing brings to mind the work of Piranesi, another artist who was fascinated by the interplay of light and shadow, and the way that seemingly disparate elements can come together to create a unified whole. Ultimately, “Cast Ornament” is a reminder that art is always a conversation, a dialogue between past and present, form and content, artist and viewer.