Cast Iron Gate c. 1937

This drawing of a gate was made by Albert Levone. Look at the way he's built up this image. It's a mix of really precise, controlled lines with a kind of freer, more suggestive sketching around the edges. I'm thinking about Levone, pen in hand, totally absorbed in the details of the gate's design. The gothic details! The way the metal curls and twists. I wonder if he was interested in the play of light on the iron, or the shadows it cast. Drawing is so much about seeing, isn't it? Really, really looking. Levone invites us to linger, noticing the intricate patterns. You can see it almost feels like he's reaching out to other artists across time and space, in a visual conversation.